Power Rangers RS 9
by Quartermaine84
Summary: A series I started years ago, following a Ranger team's emotional struggle to defend their home from the unjust rule of a soulless government.
1. The Devil's Empire

_(Writer's Notes at the bottom)_

**Prologue:**

For two generations, the people of the planet Stregna have been forced to live in fear. Most have walked a very thin line all their lives. One step too far and they would be no more; drug out into the street and done away with. No last words, no final requests. Simply exterminated; their bodies tossed away. Their hopes and dreams for the future would be given no consideration, fore they would have no futures. And so each person would abide by a set of age old rules, carved in stone. Many wish to speak out against this evil that plagues their world, but in the end they are too afraid. And so they remain quiet, allowing this cruelty to continue. Some citizens have heard stories of peace and love brought from other planets, but none have felt it for themselves. To them it is fiction; nothing more. Their minds simply cannot entertain a concept that they, themselves, have never known. Happiness, freedom of expression, or any right to feel had been stripped away over fifty years ago when their government first came into power. Since then, the lives they lead are no better than those of a dog; subservient to one master.

At the head of this government is Empress Vulca. Hers is the face these people see in their minds. She is the one to make many wake screaming in the dark of the night, longing for those loved ones she's taken away. One look at the Stregna skyline to the imperial palace towering high above could bring tears to the eyes of grown men. Each one knew what that Hellish stone monument represented. Since the day it was built, they'd known no peace. They'd been forced to live under the rule of a single entity; the emotionally baron highest power of their world: Vulca.

The right of command had been passed onto Vulca by her mother, Cyann. It was Cyann's army who first over ran Stregna, forcing its people into submission. Following the death of their then-queen, Vulca stepped up, carrying on this curse on their world that her mother had put into motion. When all of this began decades earlier, many believed Cyann was the worst thing to happen to their planet. But if you were to ask one of that generation today, they would tell you a different story. Cyann was cruel, but she was not without reason. Life under her was one of limited freedom, but nothing like today. Any humanity Cyann may have had was not present in Vulca. She felt nothing. Why, most were unsure. But whatever the reason, their lives had gone from bad to worse. Cyann may have been the one to take control, but they never knew true fear until the day Vulca dawned the crown.

* * *

**Chapter 1:**

**The Devil's Empire**

Vulca stood stiffly on the marble balcony of the imperial palace; her shaking hands resting gently upon its rail. Through her longing emerald eyes, she gazed out into the night sky. The woman found herself surrounded by silence as a single tear rolled down her cheek. Thousands of tiny white stars twinkled around her. In their soft glow, she could almost see her mother's face. It was on that balcony Vulca had spent every night since Cyann's death. She would stand there for hours, staring out into the darkness, losing herself in those memories. She moved not a single muscle; hardly even blinked as she struggled to hold onto to those last images of her mother. Over the years they'd began to fade; the clarity they once held having been washed away by the hands of time. Though it was true Vulca didn't have much; she did have this. There on the balcony of the palace her mother built, she felt a sort of closeness to Cyann. Like maybe... if she just stood there long enough; stared hard enough into the starlight, she could recapture some of those memories that were slipping away. Vulca drew one breath after another, feeling the icy Winter air fill her lungs. Its chill covered her pale white face; her hands growing numb. But still she did not move. One step away and it would be lost; this feeling; this connection. At that moment she could almost feel Cyann there with her, as if somewhere in that pitch black sky, her mom was still watching over her, guiding her. No matter how bitter the wind became, she could never bring herself to walk away. Had she gone inside, she would be trapped; surrounded by those same feelings that have haunted her every day: loneliness, pain, regret.

"I could've saved you, Mom.", Vulca spoke softly, at last shattering the silence around her. "If I could've let go of my fear that day and stopped Andros.... gotten to him before he pulled the trigger, you'd still be alive. I should've gotten in his way, created a diversion.... anything that could've bought you more time. I should have fired upon him while I had the chance.... like you would have for me."

In those passing words, even she could hear the sadness. The rest of Stregna may have saw the empress as a grown woman of 22, but in her heart Vulca was no more than a little girl who missed her mom.

Some might've said this connection she felt on the balcony was only in her mind, but Vulca didn't believe that. Before the words had even fallen from her glossed lips, she could already hear Cyann's objections. She could feel something as she spoke, like a tidal wave washing over her, leaving her body trembling; goosebumps crawling up her pale arms.

"I know I was only a child then.", Vulca offered. This came as retort to what she knew Cyann would've said... if she were there. "You'd tell me I did everything I could. And that.... you'd never want me in harm's way. But that doesn't change anything. I was young, I was scared, but I still could've made some difference. If I had just tried a little harder......"

With those words, her head fell slowly. The regret over the things she should've done was eating her alive, as it had ever since the day her mom passed away. Andros may have been the one to pull the trigger, but in part Vulca blamed herself. She told herself she should've acted. Because she froze, Cyann died. There was no changing it now. Vulca knew that and yet she couldn't move forward. Her body aged with the years, but her mind never could. It just kept holding onto the past; to that image that haunted her. Her memories of Cyann, those that were good and pure, were fading fast. But that day, the day her perfect life came crashing down around her; that was one memory she could not escape. No matter how many birthdays Vulca had celebrated since then, how many candles she blew out on the cake, she could never forget what happened out there. That scene and the self loathing she felt from it, the empress feared, would be with her forever.

And so as she always did, Vulca began to slip away. Reality became a blur as her mind regressed back to that day. Her childhood memory was taking control; her mind forcing her to re-live it once again, as clearly as if it were happening in that moment. Just as she felt herself losing grip on the world around her, one word fell down from blood red lips, ".... Mom...."

**- Flashback -**

**July - 1995**

Andros and Cyann stood on the rooftop of a gray high-rise building with the hot summer sun washing over them. The air was thick, the humidity seeming to fall down upon them in sheets on that day in mid July. Cyann gazed across the concrete; her opponent held tightly in the gaze of cold, dark eyes. A trail of warm blood ran down her face. Her gown, a sparkling blue, was now torn, covered in dirt. Her chest heaved in and out as she gasped for breath. The sweat that poured down her body left her stung as it invaded open wounds. Across from her, Andros' long multi-colored hair was a shambles and his teeth stained as red as the shirt on his back. Cuts covered his being and a giant slash was seen across his chest, tearing through material and flesh alike. Their battle had been a fierce one. They'd begun with weapons, but soon those were discarded, left forgotten on the concrete as they tore into each other; hand-to-hand combat ensuing. At this moment both man and woman struggled to breathe in the heat. Their many wounds caused them to feel dizzy. The world around them spun like a top, but still neither one would back away. Andros and Cyann stared each other down, both waiting for the slightest sound to pierce through the silence, sending them back into battle. There was distance between them. They'd backed off to gather breath, though at any moment the violence could've resurfaced.

"Lets be clear, you self-righteous son-of-a-bitch," Cyann called from across the scorching roof. "I conquered this planet. Its people are mine to do with as I please. There is nothing you can say or do that will make me give up what I fought for."

With his hands, Andros gestured to the world around him as he forced a response through his pain. "You don't have the right to call any of this yours. These are people, not possessions. They deserve a chance to live their own lives...."

"They had their chance and they lost it! If they valued their freedom, they'd have fought harder."

Lost in the background far behind Cyann stood a little girl of seven years: Vulca. She stood by the edge trembling with her green eyes full of fear. The child's arms were wrapped tightly around herself as she silently willed her body to stop shaking. She wanted so badly to look away, but the blood running slowly from her mother's mouth screamed to her. She was unable to tear her sights from it, even for a moment. Its bright red luster glowing beneath the sun's light called out to her. The young Vulca was trapped, staring on like a helpless deer in the headlights of a speeding truck. She wanted to tell her mom to stop; to please come back, but alas, she could not. Every time she opened her mouth, those words just would not come out. The fear she felt inside left her speechless.

Cyann knew Vulca was there, but in the heat of battle her mind was no longer focused on her daughter. Her only focus at that moment was Andros. The woman's mind was weighted down with anger. She had fought for control of Stregna and the idea of Andros stepping in to take it away from her was unacceptable.

"You made a choice when you came here, Red Ranger.", the blue clad woman went on. "When you answered that distress signal, you put yourself in the same place as any who defy me. Had you stayed away, you and I would have no issue. But you couldn't do it. You had to come. You had to play the hero. Well that was your mistake. I killed their leader to take this planet and by God I'll kill you too!"

The events that would end that fight unfolded in an instant through Vulca's eyes. She watched, frozen solid, as her mom charged; the woman's heals pounding the concrete as she stormed into battle. And somewhere deep inside her, Vulca could feel the truth. This was it. Her fairy tale life was coming to an end, but there would be no happily ever after. Watching her mom lunge forward, Vulca begged for this story to stop. Please.... please, she pleaded inside. She would've given anything for that last page not to turn. But it was too late. Cyann had sealed her own fate and her little girl's along with it. In the blink of an eye, Andros dropped down, rolling across the warm rooftop, and coming to a stop inches away from a blaster dropped long before. That gun, with its blue metal reflecting the sun's light, caught Vulca's eye. Her world seemed to freeze around that one image; the weapon. In her heart she knew how this would end even before those shots at her mom were fired. She wanted to scream, wanted to run, but her trembling legs would not move. She was stuck, feeling as if she had a cement block weighting her down. All that was left for the little girl to do was think. As Cyann's sword materialized from thin air, forming in her hand, Vulca could hear the soft voice calling out inside herself, "Mommy, no".

Swift in his movements, Andros made a grab for the Astro Blaster. Taking it tightly into his hand, he brought little Vulca's worst fear to life. With Cyann moments away from striking, Andros pulled that trigger, and the child's care-free life was destroyed. One blast after another was discharged from its barrel, slicing through Cyann's body. The hot red light cut into her torso. The ear splitting sound of the laser light emerging sent tears welling up in Vulca's eyes. Through the blur she could see the sparks flying from her mother's body as well as Andros returning to his feet. He watched without feeling as Cyann fell to her knees, then onto her side; her arm outstretched before her; limp, lifeless. Poor Vulca watched in horror the sight of flames rising up from where her mom's body once was. The explosion, bright and hot, broke the girl's heart into pieces. She couldn't move, not so much as an inch. Her only voice was that tiny one within her brain, calling out so desperately, "Mommy, no".

Like so many monsters before her, Cyann had been taken down. Good had prevailed. The Red Ranger had saved the day. That same scenario had played out so many times that it had become a cliché. But not once in all of their so-called victories did the Rangers stop to think who else they'd hurt. Andros saw the red, crackling fire created by Cyann's remains, but he like those before him couldn't see the full picture. He couldn't see Vulca; the innocent daughter whose life he'd shattered. Through history, no Ranger had ever looked beneath the surface. None could see the fall out of what they did; whose lives were ruined in exchange for their brand of 'justice'.

With a final glance at the flames dancing atop that roof, Andros raised his arm. His eyes shifted down to the morpher on his wrist and with one finger he pressed a red button, opening communications. The man's voice was cold and authoritative as he spoke; no emotion found at all in his words.

"D.E.C.A., the mission is complete. Stregna is safe. Requesting extraction."

His tone sounded almost as hallow as the computer who gave the response.

"Affirmative.", came the automated female voice through the speaker of his morpher.

Andros' words, so cold, so baron, finally broke Vulca. She fell to her knees as the tear drops rolled down her rose red face. One by one they fell onto the concrete like rain; her sobs being the only sounds left up there. Despite the sun's warmth shining down her back, she felt cold inside. She was alone in the world. Vulca knew that then. Her mother was gone; reduced to ashes before her eyes. She would never hear another bedtime story. She'd never feel another hug or have another moment lifted into Cyann's loving arms. From then on, she'd never be woken with kisses or sang softly to sleep at night. No one would be there to applaud her successes or to catch her when she fell. It was all taken away with the piercing sound of a blaster's fire. Her mom was gone and she was never coming back. All these emotions welled up inside of Vulca, forcing their way out in one lonely, forgotten cry, "Moooommmmmyyyyy!"

She felt lost out there on that roof, like those shots left her with nothing in the world to hold onto. And those same feelings remain with her today.

**- End of Flashback -**

Once free of the torment brought on by her memories, the grown Vulca found herself staring down at the marble rail through the tears in her eyes. Each time she got lost like that would bring the pain back to her, stronger and more crippling than before. This was the curse she was left with since Cyann's death. Vulca was forced to live with that memory, day in, day out; her heart breaking over and over again. Allowing the emotion to get to her, the woman thrust her hand down against the railing, causing her entire arm to throb with pain. And yet she did not care. No amount of physical pain could ever compare to what she felt inside.

Quietly she spoke again, looking out into the night sky. Her voice was weak with regret. Those words she formed were so soft, they were nearly lost to her.

"Why...... why did you have to die?"

* * *

Miles away from the towering stone palace, a squad of Vulca's footmen searched a woodland area of Stregna. Each one wore solid black uniforms, blending in perfectly with the night sky. They were armed with giant machine guns, so heavy in their design that the men's muscles ached. Covering their faces were long hoods, matching the rest of their dark façade. No one on Stregna knew who lay hidden behind those cloaks, but all knew these men by reputation. The Drika: Vulca's imperial guard. They were faceless warriors whose sole purpose in life was to carry out the empress' orders. They rarely spoke and never showed any signs of humanity. Squads of them could be seen walking the streets; huge guns resting on their shoulders even in broad daylight. The sight of them moving with stiff posture and no emotion left Stregna's people intimidated. Thus, they fell in line. No man would choose to find himself on the wrong end of a soldier's gun, fore that would seal his fate. Their black figures littered the news programs. With every dawn new footage could be seen, each clip more horrifying than the last. They were the enforcers. All who defied Vulca would answer to them and ultimately.... most would parish.

At that moment a squad of five searched the landscape; their guns loaded and drawn. Their eyes moved slowly behind those coal black masks; their hearts beating rapidly in their chests. Little by little they searched the forest; the path before them shown only by the light of the moon overhead. The world was eerily silent with the exception of sticks snapping beneath heavy combat boots. The Drika moved in all directions, fast and without rest. Like a pack of hungry dogs, they scoured the woodlands in search of one woman; their prey.

One man's harsh, raspy voice broke through the night's silence. "Keep moving. The rebel is marked shoot to kill." This authoritative shout came from a single Drika with the position of field commander.

In response, the rest of the squad nodded their heads in unison, but none uttered a single sound. To even hear them breathing was a struggle. They were trained soldiers. Their thoughts and feelings were never spoken. Not a one within the army dared to explore their own hearts, not even on their time. They were Vulca's slaves. Nothing more. No personal interests to speak of, only missions. On this particular night, that mission was simple; track and kill a rebel who defied their empress.

"Check over there.", barked their leader once again, "She couldn't have gotten far."

Though their field commander wasn't aware, there was a great deal of truth in his words. A few feet south of their position was their target, knelt down in the shadow of a large rock. A woman in her late thirties stayed just out of view, too afraid to dare peer over that rock that gave her shelter. She could feel her heart racing inside her. Every muscle in her body was tensed. If she were to make even the slightest sound at that moment, it would be over. She'd be caught; having the same fate forced onto her as those poor souls whose faces filled the news. One deep, silent breath after another was taken as she attempted to calm herself. Sadly that icy wind that filled her lungs provided no comfort. Her life was literally in her hands. The woman's only friend came in the form of a blaster held close to her chest. It was her lifeline and undoubtedly her only ticket out of this situation.

Though she would've liked nothing more than to stay within the shelter of the darkness and the fog, that was not an option. They would find her. Sooner or later one of those men would stumble upon the improvised hiding place. What then? Her only shot would be to take them by surprise. To strike first, no matter how badly she hated the idea.

It may not have seemed that way, but this was in truth a regular occurrence for her. She was a hunted woman. Her open defiance of the empress' unjust policies had shoved her into this -- and despite her fear, she didn't regret it. Deep in her heart, she hated Vulca. Always had. From that, she found it in herself to become a rebel. One of a large group who fought back against their ruler. They would launch attacks against government buildings, murder Drika soldiers on their patrols, and some of the braver ones would go as far as to storm the palace itself. Sadly though, the rebels' numbers were depleting rapidly. With every stand they took against Vulca, more lost their lives. This left the frightened woman in a difficult position. She was one of the last rebels standing. There was no one to call, nowhere to run, and only so much time she could hide. Thus her mind returned to the situation at hand. The choice was simple through her terrified brown eyes: strike or die.

With one final breath, the woman pushed herself up, emerging from the cover of the rock. Moving swiftly, she glanced to her weapon pointing it at the Drika. Her arms were extended stiffly, both hands gripped tightly around her lifeline, that one silver blaster whose metal reflected in the moonlight. Two of the Drika turned just in time to see a smile form across her face.

"See ya' in Hell, soldier boys.", the woman said as the moon's silvery light flashed in her eyes. With that, she opened fire.

Bright beams of light immediately launched from twin barrels of the gun. Those two beams lit up the night sky as they traveled full speed toward the men. Less than a second later, that light collided with their chests, sending their bodies up in a giant ball of flaming glory. Bright fire, red and orange in color, danced through the sky. Its heat radiated onto the woman's face as she watched. This was the rush she so craved. To take down even two of Vulca's men gave her a sense of purpose in life. This made her feel as if she was making a difference.

Through angry, narrowed eyes she could see three left standing. With a primal cry, the woman thrust herself up. Up into that frigid night she went, spinning through open air with her gun still drawn. As the wind blew into her face, she fired once again sending a ray of blue light from the blaster. When it collided with the ground, a second ball of fire shot up, engulfing another of the men. She could hear their agonizing cries just as her perfectly toned body returned to the ground from that acrobatic stunt. The rebel woman had landed in a crouching position, instantly locking her sights on the remaining two. Like a rocket she took off toward them.

Mere feet away from them, a shower of sparks shot up around her. The sudden blast, erupting out of nowhere, knocked her off of her feet. Her side-arm flew from her grasp, sailing across the ground no longer within her reach. She was powerless. That thought sank in just as her shoulder collided roughly with the ground. A sharp pain shot up through the entire left side of her body. Her teeth were clenched, eyes squinted tightly. Laying there, the woman didn't know what had happened just then. She'd been running and then all of a sudden the mystery blast had knocked her down. But who fired?

It wasn't until those sparks had died away that she gained a visual. The rebel could see the figure of a woman moving through the fog. The sound of the approaching shooter's heals clicking against the rocks echoed in the silence of the night. Closer and closer those sounds grew, their rhythm as steady as a clock. The rebel struggled to see, but before her eyes could adjust in the haze, she felt herself jerked upward. The ice cold hands of the remaining Drika latched onto her, pulling her roughly up from the ground. She tried to thrust herself forward, but she could not break the death grip they had on her. The men's hands were like stone as they held her in place. None said a word; simply stood in silence, one on each side, forcing the rebel into submission.

While standing there in the grasp of those faceless men, Vucla's enemy was finally able to identify the shooter. The other woman at last emerged from the cover of that thick fog; her face coming into view beneath the moonlight. Her hair was long and golden; her body like that of a goddess fallen from the peaks of Mount Olympus. With tanned, flawless skin and eyes of the deepest blue, she would've appeared to be any man's dream. This was Cerina Morgan. To most she was known not by name, only by reputation. Cerina was the assassin; Vulca's right hand. For years she had followed the order of the imperial palace. Should a citizen of Stregna step too far over the line, they knew their fate. They would find themselves staring down the barrel of Cerina's gun and in a single shot their lives would be over. In their minds, Cerina was the embodiment of Hell itself. She felt nothing. In those eyes, they saw only darkness. Her stare, so cold and dead, could leave a man pleading for his life, long before her weapon was ever drawn. They all believed Morgan to be baron of emotion. She was a trained killer. Each time she pulled that trigger, it would seem as if she didn't care at all. There had never been any signs of remorse on her face. No second thoughts. Not a single tear having fallen for those lives she took away. It seemed all that mattered to her was Vulca's order. She, like the Drika, lived for the empress.

At this moment Cerina stood with stiff posture, her eyes locked coldly on the rebel woman. The sight of her came as no surprise to the assassin, fore they'd been down this road before. So many nights they'd crossed paths. Equal hatred welling up inside each one, they would do battle by the light of the moon. Night after night they did the same dance, but this night was different. The rebel was right there for her this time, held in the clutches of her soldiers. The sight pleased Cerina, yet still no smile formed.

"Tell me, Kari, how many nights have we done this?", Cerina asked dryly while staring down range at her defenseless enemy. There was an arrogance noted in her voice as she spoke. "How many times has Vulca sent me after you? Hundreds maybe?. But still.... you don't learn. How many times do I have to shove your face in the dirt before you finally get it? You can't win."

Rebel leader Kari, still held by the Drika, glared angrily at Cerina through locks of dark hair. She would've liked nothing more than to break free of those men and shut Cerina's mouth once and for all. But she knew it was a lost cause. The Drika's grip was too tight and should she break free, she would find herself with a bullet between the eyes. She was trapped.

"Not feeling chatty tonight?", the assassin's taunt continued. "Suit yourself. Maybe I should just blow your head off and be done with it."

"Go ahead."

"Excuse me?"

"Go ahead and kill me.", Kari repeated. "Pull the trigger. But you just keep this one thing in mind. If I'm gone... Vulca won't need you anymore. And what do you think she's gonna do with you then? Set you up in an ocean front condo? Give you some nice little retirement package and a big ol' farewell cake? Dream on, honey. You're only up there because she needs you. The second she doesn't.... you're dead. She will end your miserable life without a second thought."

Once Kari's words had fallen to silence, she watched Cerina's face. Standing there beneath that blanket of stars, she prayed that some how she'd gotten through. That maybe, just maybe her words had made some difference. But the longer she gazed into the face of a killer, the lower her hopes sank. Cerina's expression hadn't changed. She still stood as cold and unfeeling as every other night. Kari would've liked nothing more than to shut this woman out. Held there by the Drika though, she had no choice but to stare on at Cerina, becoming more sick inside with each passing minute. "She's blind", Kari told herself. "She actually believes Vulca sees her as an equal." Now whether or not this was the truth, the rebel didn't know. All she knew for sure was that Cerina would not budge from her position. She was Vulca's assassin and no matter how many nights Kari tried to get through to her, it never worked. She would just shut down.

"I don't understand you.", the rebel woman finally spoke up. "Why do you waste your life this way? You serve this woman day in, day out.... and for what?"

Cerina took a few slowly paced steps forward. Her uniform, a silver ladies' business suit, glistened in the light of the moon over head. Once in arm's length of the restrained Kari, she looked down at her, shaking her head. "My motives are none of your concern.", she replied dryly.

"Damn it, she is using you! Either you are blind.... or you're as sick as she is!"

This comment tickled Cerina. She found a certain irony in it. That one statement alone proved how little Kari really knew. They had faced off night after night, yet neither one really knew the other. Leaning forward, Cerina extended her arm, running her hand gently across Kari's cheek. The patronizing gesture made the rebel want to lash out, to break free of those men's hands and rip that woman's face off. But alas, she could not. She was stuck there at Morgan's mercy.

As the moon's silvery light danced in the eyes of the killer, one could actually see a hint of a smile form on Cerina's lips. Her voice, upon reply, was soft, only loud enough for Kari to hear. The two were face to face, only inches standing between them. As those words formed, Kari could even smell the mint on Cerina's breath. "Vulca and I are nothing alike."

In complete contrast to her gentle touch, Cerina balled her hand into a tight fist and drove it into Kari's jaw. The sickening sound of bone cracking filled the night air. Upon contact, Kari's head was thrust to one side and a trail of freshly drawn blood ran from her mouth. She could taste it there lingering bitterly on her tongue as her attacker turned. She watched with a hatred burning in her deep brown eyes as Cerina began to distance herself once again. Taking her steps slowly, with an infuriating calm about them, she moved a few feet back from the now injured rebel.

"I have no interest in this planet.", Cerina told her without much feeling in her tone. "I don't want to rule beside her, if that's what you think. Vulca is carrying on her mother's dream -- one that I have never shared."

Kari turned her head downward, spitting a light colored mixture of saliva and blood from her mouth. She then refocused her eyes on Cerina, who stood proudly in the distance.

"Then why?", the rebel Miller demanded. "If you're not doing this for power, then I don't get it."

"You don't need to."

This was a question that had always puzzled Kari. Why would a woman like Cerina give herself to the empress? Through out their years at war, Kari had found Cerina to be a more than worthy opponent. She had skill. She was intelligent. On more than one occasion the rebel had found herself beaten, lying half dead in the dirt; her pride crushed in the palm of Cerina's hand. So why? She would be so much better off without Vulca. Kari always told herself that, but for whatever reason Cerina couldn't see it. She just kept on taking orders, living her life like a puppy on a chain. She would only go as far as her master allowed her.

"You're really content to throw your life away like this? You don't need Vulca. If you don't share her dream, then....."

"You don't give up, do ya?", Cerina questioned retorhically.

"You could turn on her so easily. Why don't you? You're the one with the power! Cerina, wake up! Break away from that woman while you still can!"

"Who says I want to?"

Kari breathed a frustrated sigh before letting her retort form. "How can you go on like this, killing for a cause that _apparently _you don't even believe in? You serve this woman blindly when you know deep down she doesn't care about you."

Up until that moment, the assassin had chosen to humor her; to simply allow Kari to drone on, even though nothing she said really mattered to her. This was amusing to Cerina, letting Kari think she could melt the ice queen. The time for games had passed however. She was growing ever tired of this; something made all too obvious by the shift in her tone of voice.

"Enough.", Cerina finally cut in. A pause followed, but only briefly. "There are times I actually enjoy playing this little cat and mouse game with you. That is the soul reason you're still breathing. But the novelty is wearing thin. Let me put it to you like this. If you cross the empress one more time, I will not hesitate to put a bullet in your head. One more step over the line.... and you're _done_."

Once again Cerina began to move closer. One step after another carried her across the frost covered ground until she was in arm's length of the restrained rebel. For a moment she simply stared at her; the woman's vacant eyes burning a hole down to her very soul. It was there in that moment that Kari gained perspective. She couldn't get through to Cerina Morgan, not now or ever, no matter how many different angles she took. She couldn't play on her emotions because she had none. Through years as Vulca's assassin, her heart was dead and gone. Now all that remained was a shell. Some how through those passing years, Vulca had turned her into a living weapon.

"You're making a mistake.", Kari cried desperatly in one final attempt to get through. "You might shut me out now, but one day you're going to see that. Vulca's using you and when she's done, she will toss you to the curb. She sees you as her possession.... just like she does everybody else on this planet."

Cerina made no response to this at first. Simply stood there in a careless sort of silence. When finally she refocused, her voice came low. "One step, Kari. Just one."

Kari's heart began to beat faster as she saw Cerina's hand start to move. Little by little she reached into the interior pocket of her silver jacket. When her hand once again emerged into the light, a gun could be seen held firmly in her grasp. Its metal, untarnished, sparkled in the glow of a thousand stars; its feel cold against Cerina's skin. Had she been lying? Was the one chance she offered Kari only a game? In their current position, the rebel was helpless. She could die. One shot and she'd be gone. That thought was all her mind could process in that moment. Staring at Cerina so close with the gun in her hand; it terrified Kari. Her attitude had faded away, replaced by a primal, uncontrollable terror. The woman's brown eyes, stricken with fear, focused on the gun. She couldn't blink, could barely breathe. A single shot, she told herself. One shot and she was gone.

Leaning forward once again, Cerina latched onto Kari's throat with her other hand. Despite her small build, her grip was fierce. Kari could feel the enemy's nails like daggers digging into her flesh -- tighter.... tighter. All the while that gun remained loaded in her opposite hand. The Drika still held firmly to both of Kari's arms. In a clear, but cold voice Cerina spoke to her. The words came out slowly and quietly for effect as the two stared eye to eye with each other in that bitter Winter wind.

"_You_.... have been warned."

In a flash Cerina threw back her arm, flipping the gun around. In a single blow, she pistol whipped Kari just as the Drika's grip was released. The force sent the rebel spiraling to the ground; her dark hair in tangles. The pain of metal colliding with flesh radiated through her face as she stared up at Cerina through the tear drops that filled her eyes. It felt as if her entire face was on fire in that moment. Through the pain, Kari almost wished for the sound of the gun's discharge, but this wish wasn't to be. At least not then.

Without another word, Cerina turned away from her, leaving Kari lying beaten on the ground. With the two Drika at her sides, Mrs. Morgan walked slowly into the distance, never once looking back. Her golden hair bounced with each step; her heals once again clicking against the ground as she moved.

Kari was in the clear, but this had been her final warning. One question plagued the rebel's mind, however, as she watched Cerina walk away. Why did she let her live? If she was tired of their games, why hadn't she pulled the trigger?

* * *

Kari shivered as a cold wind picked up, blowing through her tangled brunette hair. It had been at least a minute's time since her attacker walked away and yet there she lay. Kari remained in that same position against the hard, frigid ground. Each breath of that icy Winter air was a struggle. She had to literally force its chill down into her lungs. Over and over, she tried to catch her breath and some how will away this pain she'd been left with. Kari's entire head throbbed from Cerina's direct hit. The unforgiving metal of that woman's pistol had been driven into the side of her head; the sound of it crashing against her skull still ringing through the rebel's mind. She'd been handed a brutal blow and yet still she considered herself lucky in some way. Through all of the sub-zero wind, pain, and shattered pride, Kari knew things could've ended worse. Cerina could've killed her. And so as she lay there against the frozen soil of the planet Stregna, Kari Miller considered herself fortunate. In spite of everything else, she was still breathing.

As she stared on into the night, the world around her began to shift in and out of focus. The trees that loomed high above her were becoming no more than a blur of shadows. The woman's head trauma left her dizzy. She was forced to combat not only the throbbing behind her eyes, but also this sudden lack of focus. Kari could feel the ground beneath her begin to sway. It felt to her like she was riding the waves of an ocean. Clutching tightly to the blades of grass, she could've sworn this wasn't land at all.

Little by little she tried to force this feeling away. In the process, she began to think to herself. Not only about the pain that washed over her, but why she was even there to experience it at all.

"Why, Cerina?", Kari pondered internally. "You kill in cold blood time and time again. But.... why do you keep sparing _me_? You could've pulled that trigger tonight and been done with me. You could've hauled my body back to Vulca and finally claimed victory. So why didn't you?"

The more Kari thought about it, the more frustrated she became. Of course she was thankful for her life, but the internal conflict she felt toward Cerina was ripping her apart. There was a part of her that wanted to see Cerina the way everyone else did; as some cold, unfeeling woman whose soul had long since died. Yet still there was another part of her that just couldn't quite accept that. If her enemy was truly as sick as she seemed, then why did she spare her life? The two had fought for nearly three years. Cerina had chance after chance to end it, but she never did.

"I've seen the damage you cause. The bodies of your victims are all over the news. If they so much as look at Vulca the wrong way, you shoot them down. So why won't you do it to me? I'm no different. I've been defying that bitch for years and yet.... you keep letting me go. What am I missing? If you can kill all these people and feel nothing.... why can't you do that to _me_?"

Who knows how long she would've laid there sorting through the pieces of this puzzle? Hours perhaps, had she been given the chance. A faint sound in the distance instead caused her mind to drift slowly back to reality. The echo of boots pounding the ground grew nearer to her, so rapid in their pace, their thuds sounded similar to machine gun fire. More Drika? This was her first thought. Just imagining their hooded faces sent Kari's heart racing once again. A chill shot suddenly down her spine upon accepting the fact that this fight may not be over. But that wasn't it. Through the blur that was her world at that moment, she could make out a single figure moving toward her. As quickly as a flash of lightning the stranger's legs carried him across the dirt; his face still too far off to distinguish. The second this man came into view, Kari felt her voice start to leave her. The surprise of seeing another being so far past the city limits left her stunned. Still listening to the pounding of those footsteps, she pushed herself upward to a sitting position on the grass.

"Who....?", she uttered in an almost whisper.

Her head was filled with so much more, but in her shock that one word was all she could muster. After hearing it fall from her lips, Kari just sat there watching as the man grew closer. In time he'd sailed over the vast frozen field that stretched out before her; his features finally becoming visible to her weary eyes.

Was she dreaming, Kari asked herself? There she'd been lying beaten in the dirt when all of a sudden this man came toward her. Like a knight galloping bravely atop a white horse, he had come to her rescue. She was skeptical at first watching the stranger grow near. Had she fallen asleep? Was this vision little more than her mind's creation? Her hero had the build of a Greek God; perfectly toned muscles showing through a dull brown T-shirt. Hanging over it was a jacket of thick black leather, its once flawless material now left rugged with time. The longer she stared at him, the more flustered the rebel felt. Her hands began to shake as he slowed in his sprint, coming to a gradual stop before her. She was so convinced from her spot on the grass that this couldn't be real. That is until he spoke. A deep, confident voice carrying down to her broke through any doubts. It may have looked like something from a modernized fairy tale, but on this bitterly cold evening, her 'white knight' was real.

"Hey you. You all right?", he asked her calmly.

His question was so simple, yet it left Kari's hands shaking. She could feel butterflies in her stomach; a grin slowly forming across her dirt covered face. When she at last found the words to speak, she grew ashamed of herself. "Um.... yeah. Yeah, I'm.... okay.", stammered the woman. This voice, was it even hers? It sounded more like that of a love struck school girl, as opposed to a woman growing close to forty. It didn't seem possible, but like it or not that voice she heard was indeed her own.

She could've bitten her own head off for the way that retort had come out. Kari Miller was decades past zits, pep squads, and high school crushes. But to hear her then, she sounded no older than fifteen. What had come over her? Just as she was about to lash out at herself mentally, her thoughts were lost once again. The man towering high above her extended his hand with a subtle nod. Ever so slowly Kari glanced up, looking into his face for the first time. Within an instant she found herself lost in his baby blue eyes, as deep and mesmerizing as an ocean. In them she found herself captivated. Her heart began to race faster, that grin on her face growing ever wider. Of course she prayed this man couldn't see, but he could. The expression on her face beneath the starlight was impossible to overlook.

"Really, I'm fine. I don't need....", Kari started, only to have her speaking ability sucked away once again.

In the midst of her words, Kari felt him take hold of her hand. With a grip so strong and confident, he pulled her up from the grass. It was seemingly effortless. With one arm he'd taken her from a sitting position, pulling the fallen rebel back to her feet. Once releasing her hand, he gave a second nod, then stepped back from her.

For a while the two just stood there in silence feeling the icy Winter air blowing toward them. Its chill ran easily through Kari's long brunette hair, leaving it waving wildly over her shoulder. From her stance atop the frozen soil, she began to study the man. Not as she had before on such a superficial level, but deeper. She forced herself to look past the shell and down to his core. Who was he? Why was he out there so late, away from the crowds and the glow of the city lights? In her desperate attempt to escape the Drika, Kari's legs had carried her far from civilization. Their surroundings were baron. Only trees and open land as far as the eye could see. The last thing she ever expected to find out there was another human life. Why would any man choose to venture so far from home -- if indeed he even had a home? The stranger came as a complete mystery to her standing so stiffly, staring into the wind. This entire event left her puzzled. She was alone out there. Then all of a sudden this man came to her. In true fairy tale fashion he'd appeared ready and willing to save her from Vulca's dragon in designer heals.

The longer she stared in curiosity at her storybook hero, Kari's mind began to open. She could see so much even when she'd been offered so little. The man's expression reflected a hard, unforgiving life. There was a loneliness in his eyes that no one could over look. It was like he'd spent years out there, walking their world alone. No friends, no family; nothing but his own thoughts to keep him company. It seemed to her that he was a loner by nature. He didn't appear talkative or overly excitable. Instead he had this inner peace about him; a calm she rarely saw on Stregna. His clothes were worn down with age. The jacket alone told volumes of the man who wore it. Its leather was faded with loose threads here and there. The accessory wasn't for style, but warmth, she gathered. It proved more utilitarian than it did a fashion statement. In fact, she guessed her would-be savior didn't care much for such things at all. Fashion, appearance, the impression he placed in other's minds. One look at his face so empty proved this to her. He wasn't out to impress anyone. In fact, she wondered if there was even anyone in his life to impress.

It was true Ms. Miller was grasping at straws, but most times her theories about people proved right. She'd learned to read a person like an open book, even before their first words were spoken to her. Was it an odd trait? Probably, but one that proved quite useful in her world. From it she could also see whether or not one was friend or foe. This being a question she never even needed to pose in the case of her handsome stranger. From the moment his hand touched hers, she knew he was no threat; instead like something out of the storybooks her dad used to read her at night. It was as if the hero from her past had jumped off of those pages and stood there before her.

Eventually his deep voice sliced through her thought process, returning Kari to the world around her. For this she was slightly thankful. She'd been forced back to reality before her mind had completely run away with her.

"I saw what that lady did to you before. Are you sure you're all right? You don't think you need to see a doctor or something? You know.... just to be sure?"

A part of Kari was annoyed by this. He seemed Hell bent on treating her like a damsel in distress. Even though this was the picture she painted for him, Kari considered herself nothing of the sort. Still as she gazed into his mesmerizing eyes once again, she also found this endearing. It had been so long since anyone had even asked her that question, 'was she okay'. His heart was in the right place, even if his persistence could potentially drive her insane.

"Its no big deal.", she insisted with a shrug. "I get that a lot actually. Some women get mud on their faces at the spa. Me... I like to go for the real thing."

"Cute." A breath gave pause to his words as he shifted gears slightly. "What's her problem with you anyway?"

The question tore the words right from Kari's mouth. At first she attempted to answer, but as she felt her numbed lips start to move, she stopped herself. How could she explain this? She and Cerina had been locked in this grudge match for nearly three years. Night after night they would spar beneath the blanket of stars. How could she ever tell someone else this without sounding crazy? Ms. Miller thought and thought, but came up with nothing. A life as far from normal as hers wasn't something she could easily explain, no matter how long she stood there. It seemed she was not getting off the hook. Throughout the entire pause, this man's eyes hadn't left her. He spoke not a word, but she could tell he was waiting.

"She works in the palace.", Kari spoke up at last. "Like.... one rank below the throne, I guess. Vulca's lap dog, basically. If somebody goes against that lunatic's will, Cerina comes after them. I can't believe you haven't seen her before. She's all over the news.

"I don't see much TV".

"I mean, still.... the three leading causes of death around here are aids, cancer, and Cerina Morgan."

Something in her words sent alarms sounding in the man's mind. Maybe it was the care-free way she spoke of the fight, as though she'd been knee deep in it all her life. Maybe it was the disrespect in her voice when she said Vulca's name. He couldn't put his finger on it, but whatever the reason, the truth suddenly dawned on him.

"You're one of them, aren't you? A rebel.", he wondered aloud, pointing his index finger in Ms. Miller's direction.

That word left Kari stunned a moment. Her muscles tensed on instinct, but only until her mind had time to process this. Most often she'd been forced to keep her rebel status a secret. Should the wrong person discover who she really was, it could spell disaster. By day Kari was no different than any others on Stregna. She worked her nine to five job, came home, cooked dinner. It was only after the sun sank behind the mountainside that her true colors were shown. She, and others like her, would cast aside their mundane lives and fight back against the unjust empire that ruled over them. This man had the chance to see through the façade, though Kari didn't really try to hide it. At least not from him. There was something about him. The two hadn't even exchanged names, but for some reason she felt she could trust him. Perhaps it was foolish. He could've turned her in easily and gained the reward. Yet Kari didn't believe that he would.

"Yeah. Been with 'em for years. My name's Kari. You are?"

"Stone.", the man replied in a stiff sounding, but not unpleasant tone.

The name, like his presence there at all, took Kari by surprise. Her head tilted slightly to the side while she pondered it, wondering to herself if she'd even heard him right over the howl of the approaching wind.

"As in 'sword in the....'?"

"Yes.... exactly that like.", Stone answered with a smirk.

Said smirk had been the first sign of actual emotion she'd seen in the man. It wasn't much. Merely a half grin, but it was enough for Kari. She guessed by his otherwise dry facial expression that this was a rarity for him.

The more she studied him, Kari could sense some irony there. Stone was a fitting name for someone who gave off the vibe he did. The way he would've come off, had he not attempted to rescue her just then, would've been as hard as an age old stone. He was quiet, stiff, rarely smiled. Sometimes she guessed talking to him could've been like talking to a wall. But then Kari couldn't really blame him. If indeed he had lived alone the way she assumed, it was a trait that simply came with that choice. Years of having no one to talk to would generally leave one cold and silent.

Eventually he did speak again, however. Stone was a man of few words, but for Kari's sake he chose to stay active in their conversation as much as he was able. Social situations were not his specialty, but he tried.

"For what its worth", he offered, "I really respect what you guys do out there. Over the years, this world's gone to Hell. Vulca; she's ruined it. People can't even walk down the street anymore without having to watch their backs. Those Drika things, Vulca posts them on every corner now. Stregna's people are all under her thumb and that woman makes sure they know it. Nice to see there's somebody out there willing to stand up to her."

* * *

Deep within the confines of the imperial palace, Cerina found her mind plagued with questions. The expression upon her tanned face was as blank as the white marble walls that surrounded her. One step at a time she carried herself down an empty hallway, narrow in its design. She found herself surrounded by silence, with the exception of her heals clicking against the cold stone floor. Every second she grew closer to the open doorway laying ahead; the entrance to Vulca's throne room. Though her steps were slowly paced, Cerina was moving ever closer. Her time was running out.

In the silence she struggled to find an excuse. What could she tell Vulca when finally her legs had carried her into the vast, open throne room? The empress had given her a simple and direct order; exterminate the rebel Kari. There had been no misunderstanding and yet Cerina didn't do it. Kari had been right there for her, mere inches away. Two Drika held her in place. There was nowhere for her to run and as far as the assassin knew, no one around to hear her scream. In spite of it all, Mrs. Morgan didn't fire. How could she ever explain this to Vulca and still keep her life?

Before she knew it Cerina found herself at the open door of the throne room. The time for thought had come and gone. Standing at attention ahead of her were two Drika with massive guns resting upon their shoulders. For most they would've drawn their weapons and requested ID, but when they saw Cerina growing near, those men merely stepped aside. Her path was made clear. From their distance they could see the cold, empty expression that was written so clearly across her face. Her eyes were vacant and her mouth frozen in a frown. It was their duty to question any who approached the empress' chamber, but on that night they chose to ignore it. Neither had the guts to speak a single word to Cerina. As she blew past them into the room, the Drika diverted their eyes from behind their black masks. On instinct, both peered down to the gray stone floor, never daring to make eye contact with their superior.

"Empress.....", Cerina began once blowing through the doorway.

Hearing that one word echo off of the bare walls around her, the woman grew silent. She found herself frozen there in the entrance to Vulca's chamber. The bright lights above her caused her silver uniform to sparkle with the beauty of a thousand rare diamonds. The room before her stretched on forever, but was mostly empty. A large, jewel covered throne sat in the center of the open floor. It had been designed with that familiar white marble, matching perfectly to the palace walls.; this being the only decoration to speak of. All else looked dull. She gained much the same feeling in the throne room each night as she did staring into Vulca's face. Both were empty and motionless. The room seemed to reflect the empress' bleak world view perfectly.

"Empress Vulca?", she repeated. Her words carried across the air slightly louder this time.

Cerina gazed on through uncertain blue eyes to her master in the distance. Vulca sat on her knees atop the steps of the balcony with her long blue gown tucked partially beneath her. The woman's face was mostly covered by a black vale, but even through it Cerina could see Vulca's pain. Her cheeks were wet with tears. They'd grown red in shade over the hours she'd spent there. This sight caused her second in command to stand without motion in the open door. She no longer spoke, just stood in silence gazing across the floor to her heart broken empress.

When Mrs. Morgan saw to it to speak again, a note of concern could be heard in her voice."Are you all right? You seem..... troubled tonight."

The relationship between Cerina and Vulca was complicated. There had never been a friendship between the two. In all of her three years within the palace, Cerina had never tried to reach out to this woman. She simply lived by a code, no different than the Drika beneath her. She would report to the empress, she would follow orders, but never would she offer a shoulder to cry on. Cerina knew very well what had transpired between Cyann and Andros so many years ago. Vulca had spoken of her death many times, but Cerina never offered much comfort. Her feelings for Stregna's ruler confused even her. For the most part she didn't care for Vulca, at least not on a personal level. Friendship had never been a part of Morgan's job. At the same time though, she couldn't help feeling sorry for the empress. There were nights Cerina's heart truly did break for Vulca, even in spite of what had happened between the two women.

This appeared to be one of those nights. Cerina may have been cold and stiff at that moment, displaying an almost militaristic stance, but beneath it all a small part of her did sympathize. Cerina had learned something in her time there. No matter how evil Vulca could seem, nor how dark Cerina's own feelings for her may have been, she was still a human being. Vulca was a person like everybody else and she was in pain.

"Its Cyann.... isn't it?", Cerina asked softly. Of course she knew the answer to this question long before it had even formed on her glossed lips.

Gazing down at her, Cerina could clearly see the tears streaming down Vulca's face. Her eyes had become blood shot and her body trembled there in the wind that blew in from over the railing. Held tightly in the empress' hands was a picture framed in pure gold. Since the moment that Cerina set foot into the room, she'd seen Vulca staring at it. The empress' tears continued to fall, puddling onto the frame's glass like drops of rain. Depicted was a woman in a baby blue dress with multi colored sequins running down its center. Atop her head was a helmet of matching color. Though Cerina had been in Vulca's service for some time, she'd never seen that picture before. The longer she stared at it, the photo's clarity fading with time, she began to see a resemblance. The woman in the photo had Vulca's eyes. In her arms was an infant. The baby wore a fancy blue dress matching perfectly in color to her mother's. Morgan didn't need words to know what this was. The picture, over twenty years old, was of Cyann holding a baby Vulca within her loving arms.

Cerina bit her lip a moment prior to forcing her next words. In tone they came off cold, creating a contrast to the words themselves. "She looked happy.... holding you. Cyann.... she looked happy. She must've loved you very much."

It took time, but eventually Vulca's head did raise. This was the first movement seen in the empress thus far. Through the last of her tears, she looked up at Cerina who towered over her. The pain was so clear on her red face.

"She did.", came Vulca's response in a whisper. In those words, her slave could hear the last of her sobs beginning to fade away.

There was a part of Vulca that longed to open up to Cerina, but the longer she looked up at her from the icy floor, the more she began to tell herself no. She knew Cerina wasn't anything more to her than a servant. When she looked into the blue eyes of the assassin, she wanted to see a friend. In her heart she wanted to believe they'd bonded some how, but in her mind she knew that could never happen; not after the events that lead Cerina into her service. They could never be friends. Reinforcing this for herself, Vulca's tone suddenly grew colder. Reality was setting in once again. She'd been vulnerable at first, but that emotion in her was being forced away, soon to be buried deep inside as it had always been.

"Why are you here?", Vulca questioned without feeling. "You and I both know you don't really care. My feelings.... they mean nothing to you. As well they shouldn't."

"We'll never be close, Vulca. Not after what you did. Friendship is not an option for us. But in spite of that.... I know what you're going through. I've been down this road myself and I don't want to watch somebody else go through the Hell that I did." She paused as her voice grew slightly more bitter. "Even if that somebody is _you_."

This was difficult for Cerina, extending an olive branch to Vulca. But seeing her down there crying over her loss was like looking into a mirror. In Vulca's pain, Cerina saw herself. At that moment, that common thread over powered what had happened in their past. The agony Cerina once felt regarding a similar loss was something she wouldn't wish onto even her worst enemy. Beneath those bright lights, she could actually see the human side of Vulca; that side that was so often over looked. Cerina may not have liked her, but she understood her.

"Cyann wouldn't want you to spend your nights this way, crying over something that you can't change. Its in the past. She would want you to stand up, to be strong, and to find it in yourself to move on. It took me a long time to understand that. I spent so many nights just the way you are now. I was broken."

"It isn't the same, Cerina.", Vulca cut in, still with the same soft, helpless tone. "I watched Cyann die. I have to live with that picture in my brain for the rest of my life."

"Yeah, you do. That isn't something you'll ever forget. But does that mean you have to spend every day after that obsessing over it? I know it hurts.... and in a way, it probably always will. But...." Once again she stopped, but only long enough to gather her thoughts. "Look, no matter how many tears you shed, it won't bring Cyann back. She's dead. The sooner you deal with that, the better off you're going to be."

"Cold and bitter as usual.", observed the heart broken empress following a sigh.

"I'm only what you made me, Vulca."

Cerina's words were harsh, but true. There was nothing Vulca could do for Cyann then. She'd left their world fifteen years prior to that night. It was too late, but this was what proved most upsetting to Vulca. She missed her mother and deep down she knew there was no way to fix that. Cyann had left her and no amount of fallen tears could ever bring her home again.

At long last Vulca started to stand, pushing herself up slowly from the floor. It felt like ice against her hands as she brought herself back up, coming eye level with Cerina.

"If you have a point, make it.", Vulca snapped in a harsh tone. In her mind, her grief was being belittled. Letting go was something Vulca couldn't do and the last advice she wanted to hear.

"You can't go on this way. Sooner or later, these feelings you have will destroy you. They'd have done the same to me if I had stayed on your same path. You have to let Cyann go."

"Fine. You said your piece. Now get out."

Cerina would've liked nothing more than to turn and walk right out that door, but she knew she could not. She hadn't come into that room to offer Vulca advice. This was no more than a spur of the moment thing -- a chance to offer her the words Cerina wished someone had said to her personally so long ago. The true reason for the enforcer's intrusion was left unspoken. With her previous thoughts shoved out of her mind, she returned to her duty there.

"You requested a status report on the rebel." A pause followed these words as Cerina waited for a response. All she'd received from Vulca, however, was a stare through lost green eyes. Thus the assassin continued. "The Drika located her, but.... the mission was a failure. She.... escaped us."

This had not been the truth, but the truth Cerina knew could spell her end. The place Vulca was in on that night was so dark. There wasn't a doubt in the other woman's mind that she would've killed her. Were she to tell her what actually transpired out there, she would not have lived to see the sun rise again. This lie meant her survival; at least in her mind.

Across from her, Vulca's expression did not change. As those words met her ears, not even the slightest flinch could be seen. "It doesn't matter.", the ruler huffed bitterly.

"I am sorry, Empress. Miller killed three of five Drika and in the end, she...."

"I told you it doesn't matter. I can't deal with this now. Just..... get out."

It seemed Cerina had been saved for the time being. Vulca's mental state had given her an out. With the memories of Cyann weighing heavily on her heart, Vulca didn't care about the battle. The planet, the rebels, none of it mattered to her then. All she wanted in that moment was to be alone with her thoughts. And so Cerina nodded her head. This had worked in her favor. She chose to let Kari go for reasons that were clear to her, but reasons the empress could've never understood. She was too far gone. As Cerina began to back away, she considered herself lucky. Vulca hadn't questioned this. In her current state of mind, she couldn't have.

"As you wish.", Cerina said with a respectful nod.

* * *

**Writer's Notes:**

I originally came up with this story in my mid-teens. I've always liked the characters, but my writing at the time lacked description. Since then, I've decided to go back and re-write the series, as I feel I can do a better job now than I did in 2001.

The Ranger suits intended for the series are from Gaoranger. As I said, this series was originally written in '01, so Gao was the Sentai airing at the time. This has no connection to Power Rangers Wild Force what so ever, seeing as it hadn't aired yet. The story itself has very little to do with Gaoranger other than character designs.

I hope you all enjoy this series. I've done a lot of fics, but this has always been special to me. If you'd like to leave feedback, I would love to know what you think.


	2. Assassin's Light

**Chapter 2:**

**Assassin's Light**

In life no person is all one thing; good, bad, right, wrong. There are so many levels that make up who we are inside. To live solely for evil is a concept present only in cartoons. This type of character may be entertaining through the eyes of children, but is not reality. In the real world, there are complexities. People don't often find themselves facing situations that are purely black or white. Instead they are met with an ocean of gray. Choices aren't always easy and sometimes even the best of us can make the wrong ones. When the walls are closing in and it looks like there's no way out, the only choice one truly has is to follow their heart. Sometimes it can lead them in the right direction and others it can tear them astray. There are those who can't see this complexity, however. They believe there is a solid right and wrong to each and every question. But those who feel this way have never walked in Cerina Morgan's shoes. She knows first hand how confusing life can be. She knows there are no simple answers and sometimes you have to walk through the darkness in order to find the light at the end of the tunnel.

When the people of Stregna looked at Cerina, they saw only one thing: evil. They saw a woman baron of emotion; a killer. For three years they had watched her follow Vulca's orders without question. In the ear splitting sound of a pistol's fire, she would force the empress' will onto the millions who inhabited the planet. In their minds, most judged Cerina. They'd seen the choices she'd made, but none ever bothered to ask themselves why. There was so much more to Mrs. Morgan than those people realized. Hidden beneath her rock hard exterior, there was a human being. Her emotions may have been hidden behind vacant eyes, but none the less they were there.

Cerina, like Kari, lead a double life. By night she would walk the streets of Stregna, stiff and cold. The blood of thousands of victims stained her hands. By the light of the moon she would carry out Vulca's orders, sealing off her own heart. The widely held belief that Cerina felt nothing when she fired was indeed true at times... but not because she couldn't. Only because she wouldn't _allow _herself to feel. Each night as she left the gates of the imperial palace, she would force herself to shut down. Her heart would be locked deep inside and she would simply go through the motions. The terrified cries, the shots ringing loudly into the night, the sound of bodies falling to the pavement; none of it could effect her. She'd learned to make herself grow cold. Like flipping a light switch, she could shut off her heart in an instant. This was the one and only way she could carry herself through it.

Yes, by night Cerina was the cold blooded killer everyone believed her to be. It wasn't until the sun rose up over the mountains in the distance that the real Cerina was able to resurface. The other side of her, the one most never saw, was able to come to light.

At that moment Cerina's hand rested atop a keypad of shimmering silver buttons. A numeric code was being requested on a tiny screen above it; its green font flashing across her face. This was the key to opening the door beside it. The woman had entered that code so many times that she knew it by heart. Without even looking, nor giving any thought, her finger moved across the keys. Before she knew it, the thick iron door slid open to the left, giving her free passage into her home. A gust of air swept over her in its motion just as a buzzer sounded from somewhere around her - all standard procedure within the palace.

Each night when she walked through that door, Cerina felt a weight lifted from her shoulders. She knew her time with Vulca had passed. She could put aside all of those terrible thoughts, cast the bone chilling screams from her mind, and focus on what truly mattered to her. Most believed Cerina lived for the empress, but this had never been the case. Her place there was one of necessity, not personal choice. No, Cerina had never been guided by a loyalty to Vulca. Instead she found her inspiration from a different source. There was only one thing in the world that mattered to her, one thing that could make everything she did out there seem worth while: her light, her hope, her reason for living: Nikeera.

Cerina had only taken two steps inside the door when a familiar sound broke through the silence. "Mommy!", came a voice that met her there in the entryway; its joyful pitch like music to her ears.

That one word, so cheerfully spoken, lit up Cerina's world like the Fourth of July. There on the sofa sat a little girl of six years old. With long hair and sparkling eyes, she was the spitting image of her mother. This was the light of Cerina's life, her daughter Nikeera Morgan. The child, often called Niki for short, was cuddled up on a couch of the purest white in the center of the room. A pink blanket could be seen wrapped around her; her name written across it in glittery purple letters. It was pulled carefully up to her chin, combating the chill of the Winter air flowing through the vents. Just seeing her there warmed the heart of the elder Morgan. It seemed Niki had a gift; something no one else on Stregna's surface had and that was the ability to make Cerina smile. One look from her daughter was all it took. Seeing Niki grinning at her from the couch cast the darkness away and shattered the once ice cold expression on her mom's face. Up until that moment there had been no light in Cerina's eyes. They looked dead out there underneath the moon's glow as they did every night. It wasn't until she passed through that open door and saw her angel there that any life was seen in them. In complete contrast to the woman the rest of Stregna knew, this Cerina was all a glow. Her blue eyes shown an almost majestic sparkle.

Before speaking a word, Cerina pressed two buttons on an interior wall panel, causing the giant metal door to slam shut once again. A few seconds passed before she heard the air sucked out from it and the familiar buzz in the background confirming its status. That door was locked, sealed air tight. Finally with security no longer an issue, Cerina turned to her daughter.

"What am I raising? A bat?", she asked with humor in her voice. "You were supposed to be in bed hours ago."

Niki giggled a moment, covering her mouth with both hands.

"Am I _ever _in bed?", the child asked her prior to flashing a mischievous grin.

"What? And actually be caught doing what I told you to? Certainly not! Apparently, listening to one's mother is the eighth deadly sin around here."

Still standing close to the locked door, Cerina breathed a deep sigh. Slowly she began to unbutton the glistening silver jacket of her uniform revealing a solid black shirt beneath. So thankful to be free of Vulca's clutches for another night, Cerina slipped her arms out of the jacket's sleeves and tossed it carelessly across the floor.

"So what did you do tonight while Mommy was stuck at work?"

Niki's head tilted to the side slightly. It was clear she was pretending to think. The child thumbed her chin and scrunched up her eyebrows as if struggling to recall, but the giant grin on her face gave her away.

"Well", Niki started, "...first I took out the garbage, then I dusted my room, and then I made you dinner."

"Nice fairy tale. Now what did you _really _do?", Cerina wondered aloud with a roll of her eyes.

If Stregna's people could've seen Cerina in that moment, they'd have never believed her to be the same woman. Over three years' time, none had ever seen anything in her but darkness. They knew her as cruel, unfeeling, and without so much as a hint of mercy. None would've believed that change in her brought about by Niki's smiling face. Kari had tried and tried to melt this ice queen, but each time she failed. It wasn't in her power to break through the cold, hard shell Cerina built around herself. That was something only Nikeera could accomplish. She was Cerina's only real friend in the world and the only person she could honestly say she cared about. Niki was everything to her.

After slipping off a pair of spiked heals, Cerina moved quickly across the floor, feeling the warm plush carpet beneath her feet. Its texture was a complete contrast to the stone floors that ran through the rest of the palace. In a flash, she made her way to the couch, allowing herself to drop down against the cushions beside her daughter. Wasting no time at all, Niki sprang up from her spot and found a position much more to her liking, cuddled up closely to Cerina.

"Seriously", Cerina asked as she wrapped her arm lovingly around the child, "What did you do all night?"

"The truth?"

"Why not? That would be a nice change of pace, don't ya think?"

Niki only shrugged. Her mom's sense of humor could be a little strange at times, but after six years Niki had grown used to it. Constantly kidding around with each other, they could've appeared more like sisters than mother and child.

"First I watched TV, then I jumped on your bed where I may... or may _not _have broke your favorite vase. I had candy for dinner, and... oh, oh I practiced my cursive writing just like you told me!"

"You did it on the wall, didn't you?", her mom asked dryly.

With that, Niki began to sink low, covering her face partially with the blanket. She did her best to look innocent, but this attempt like most things between the two, was little more than a joke. "Maybe.", the girl finally whimpered.

Cerina looked down at her daughter, still playfully hiding within that blanket. From behind it she could see only Niki's eyes peaking out at her. The sight brought another of many smiles to her face as she spoke, more lightly now, to the child.

"What are ya' hiding for? I didn't pay for this apartment. You could write your memoirs on that wall for all I care."

Yes the two sides of Cerina Morgan were as opposite as Winter and Summer. There was the front she put on for the rest of the world; the cold, hard facade she dawned each night as she loaded her pistol and prepared to enforce the empress' sick brand of justice, and there was the truth. This was the side no one else on Stregna had ever witnessed. In spite of all she'd done wrong in her life, Cerina felt she could be herself around Niki. No walls. She could finally let her hair down and be free. This little girl held tightly in her arms was the one person who saw through all the smoke and mirrors. She saw the woman behind the armor.

For a time, Cerina just sat there in silence. After the things she was forced to do each night, moments like this were what kept her going. These quiet, peaceful times with her daughter; the two of them shut off from the rest of the world were paradise to her. Sitting there against the soft cushions of her couch, Niki's mom gazed around her small apartment and breathed a sigh of relief. This room that surrounded them was so drastically different from the rest of the palace. The walls, once baron and uninviting, had been painted with twisting leaves and branches, giving life to what would've been otherwise dead space. All around them sat vases of flowers; their pedals seen in every color of the rainbow. The stone floor had been covered over with soft carpet baring only a few soda stains here and there, courtesy of Niki's 'Oops moments'. It was true the palace could feel cold, but Cerina did her best to change that. She had little to work with, but she had turned her home into a place she could truly relax. Sitting there surrounded by so many plants and ivy painted so clearly across those walls, it looked like their couch had been dropped in the midst of a jungle.

The two didn't say much for a long while. Instead they just sat there in the silence of that make-shift apartment enjoying this time they had together.

It was in that time that Niki's mind began to wander. She may have never been a normal kid. Each time she walked through the doors of her School, that was made very clear to her. She couldn't have friends over, she didn't know what her mom did for a living, and there was no shot in Hell of Cerina joining the PTA. Niki wasn't like the other kids and she knew that. Even so, she did possess one quality the same as the rest of her classmates. Nikeera, like most kids her age, had a natural curiosity about the world. No matter what time of day, she was always full of questions. Before she even realized it, they would creep into her mind and linger there until she was given an answer. This seemed to be one of those times. Feeling Cerina's arm around her, Niki turned once again to stare up at her mom. She said nothing at first; simply sat there looking on and listening to the hands of a nearby clock tick away. Second after second the girl remained quiet, while watching a lamp's light shine across her mom's darkly complected face.

It took some time, but eventually Cerina felt herself locked in her child's sights. Her first reaction was to turn, smiling slightly to her, but that was only until she saw the expression on Niki's face. The silly grin once present had faded away, leaving a note of seriousness in its place. This was a rarity for Niki. She was always kidding around with Cerina, but there was no joke here.

"Is something wrong?", Cerina asked with her tone growing soft. "You look different all of sudden."

Though she had stayed quiet for a time, the words came pouring out of the girl's mouth. The second her mom noticed her, Niki opened up and let her thoughts flow out like waves of rushing water. Her tone, like her mom's, was soft, but easily heard in their otherwise silent home.

"Who's that lady?"

"I'm... I'm sorry, what?", the grown up stammered. The question, so vague, had obviously thrown her.

"I saw this lady today in the hall. She was wearing all blue and has this big horn on her head... like a unicorn, but she was a person like us. Who is she?"

Of course it was clear to her who Niki spoke of, yet still Cerina didn't answer. She couldn't. The question had left her speechless.

"I've seen her before sometimes.", Niki rushed on. She hadn't waited even a second for her mom to respond. "I'd poke my head out the door and she'd be out there, but... I don't get it. Do you know her?"

Cerina longed to respond, but how could she? The woman Niki saw out there was Vulca. How could her mom explain this to her without telling her of the mistakes she'd made? The two had lived within the palace for as long as Niki could remember, but never once had her mom told her why. Niki didn't know what Cerina did when she left there each night. Loving mother that she was, Mrs. Morgan gave all she had to sheltering her child from the truth. Niki didn't know Vulca and she didn't know the horror that went on because of her. Cerina was a saint in her daughter's eyes. Each time her child would look up at her, she could see it. Niki felt she could do no wrong. She was her baby's hero. There was no way she could've ever told her the truth; that this image Niki had of her was no more than some childhood fantasy. Though Cerina wasn't evil, she wasn't the perfect woman Nikeera saw in her either. Deep down, Cerina wished more than anything that she could be even half the woman she was in Niki's eyes.

As the silence drug on, Cerina's hands began to tremble. She could feel her heart picking up speed, its once steady pace becoming erratic. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead and began to run slowly down her face. The air in the room around them was quite cold, but to Cerina it felt like she was sitting under the rays of a burning desert sun. Niki's eyes hadn't shifted from her, not even for a second. What could she do, the mom asked herself? At that moment, her best option was to stall.

"What did I tell you about going out into the hall?", Cerina dodged with a scolding remark. "The rest of this building is off limits to you, Nikeera. You know that."

"Yeah, but you never said why."

Cerina tried to speak once again, but each time she opened her mouth, her voice just left her. She truly didn't know how to do this. Sitting there in the silence of her tiny, make-shift apartment within the palace, she asked herself if there was even a right answer. There was a part of her that wanted to keep Niki in the dark about Vulca. This was only natural. At her age, she was far too young to be exposed to such a person. Even so, Cerina felt conflicted. As she turned her head slowly to look at her daughter, there was another part of her that felt bad for this. Gazing toward her cuddled there in that pink blanket, staring on with a curiosity in her pale face, Cerina really did regret lying to her. Niki trusted her, but each day that her mom went to work under Vulca's command, she lied to her. She had no choice. It tore her up inside, but what else could she have done?

"Mom? What are you thinking about? Who is that lady?"

Niki hadn't let this go and she wasn't going to. Now matter how hard Cerina prayed, the girl by her side wasn't going to forget. There in the silence, the woman drew a breath down deep into her lungs. Letting it out ever so slowly, she prepared to open the gates. Now she had no intention of telling Niki everything, but she felt she had to tell her something. In her heart she didn't want to so much as speak Vulca's name to her, but there was no way around it. She'd kept this from Niki for too long.

"Do you remember the day we came here, Niki?", Cerina asked quietly.

The child tilted her head a moment in thought. Clutching her hands around the blanket, feeling its soft texture against her fingers, she tried to think back. The further back she let her mind go, however, the fuzzier those mental images became until finally there was a blank. Seconds later, she shook her head.

"No."

"You were young then. It was just after your third birthday."

In a way Cerina considered herself lucky. If Niki didn't remember that day, it gave her some creative license with this story. She could edit and omit at will, leaving those details out that she felt were too much.

"The woman's name is Vulca.", Cerina said as she began to inform her child. "And yes, I do know her. She... well, she's actually the one who owns this palace. The room we're in is only one part of something much, much bigger."

"So she lives here too?"

"That's right.", the adult confirmed after a nod. "She's the reason I've always told you to stay in here. You've never been allowed to roam the halls here and that's why. Because this place isn't just ours."

Niki stared back at her mom trying her hardest to understand, but she still found she had more questions than answers. What she'd been told so far was just the tip of the iceberg; not nearly enough to gain any real information.

"Vulca is Mommy's boss.", Cerina pressed on against her better judgment. "When I leave for work each night, she's the one I report to. And because I work for her, she lets us stay here."

"But I don't get it. Why can't I go in the hall? What's the big deal?"

"Well... its Vulca. She may be my boss, but she isn't my friend. To be honest with you, I don't trust her. She can be mean and... well, dangerous and I just don't want anything to happen to you. Do you know how bad I would feel if you got hurt out there?"

Niki nodded quietly, but really she still didn't get this. There was something else on her mind; an event that kept playing itself back for her over and over again.

"What's wrong with her?", the kid asked following the brief silence.

Cerina could feel herself walking across thin ice. Niki needed answers and she deserved them. But at the same time, her mom didn't want to go too far. To tell her too much would be to shatter her innocence. Niki was still blessed with an ignorance about the world. She didn't know all the darkness that surrounded her. From her perspective, their world was like that of a fairy tale. Cerina didn't want to destroy that for her in the process of explaining their life.

"Something terrible happened to Vulca when she was little.", Mrs. Morgan explained after a long sigh. "About your age, actually. She saw something that she never should have and it... it makes her act strange sometimes. She'll start to see that day over again. Kind of like a movie playing inside her head. Except when she sees this movie, it makes her sad. She remembers how she felt all those years ago and... well..."

Cerina stopped herself. She didn't know how to paint this picture for her daughter. How do you explain such emotional pain to someone so young? Every time the words came to her, Morgan would simply push them out of her head. Each time she felt they would only confuse Niki further.

"Okay Niki, lets try it this way. Do you remember that little black cat you used to have?"

All of a sudden Niki's voice became more charismatic. Some light came back to her face as she recalled her former pet.

"Missy!", Nikeera exclaimed.

"Yes, Missy.", her mom recalled. "And you remember how you felt when Missy died, right? You were sad and angry at the same time. You yelled at me, you broke your toys, locked yourself in your room... do you know why you did all those things?"

"Yeah. I was upset. I wanted to make Missy better again, but I couldn't."

"Right. You felt helpless so you lashed out. I guess you could say that's how Vulca is. See... her Mommy died when she was little and that makes _her_ feel helpless. She wants to save her mom, but she knows its too late, like you did with that cat. The reason I've always made you stay here is so I know that you're safe. Vulca can throw fits just the same as you did then, but she's a lot bigger than you. I don't want you to get caught in the middle of one of them and... and possibly get hurt."

Once those words had fallen away, Cerina closed her eyes slowly. Looking into the new found darkness, she silently prayed this would be enough. "Please let Niki understand", she said to herself. Over and over she repeated those words. In this moment she could hear nothing in the room around her. Dead silence had fallen upon the two of them. With her eyes closed, she pleaded for this conversation to end. It had been brief, but Cerina didn't want to go any further. The things Cyann's death made Vulca do were too much for Niki to hear. She never wanted to be the one to tell her the lengths the empress had gone to. She didn't want to explain that this woman's loss had literally driven her over the edge. Watching her mother's body fall down in flames had left her so scarred. One could say that the innocent child Vulca once was died right alongside Cyann. Because from that moment on, Vulca wasn't the same. In the heat of that fire, she changed. Her heart broke and her mind was destroyed. Andros may have saved Stregna from its former empress, but in doing so he created a monster far worse.

When at last Cerina dared to open her eyes, she saw Niki staring down at the floor. Her focus was on the carpet. All of the things her mom had said were floating around in her head. Some made sense to her, some didn't.

"Do you understand what I'm trying to say?", Cerina asked hopefully. "When Vulca's sad like that, she can be dangerous. That's the only reason I've made you stay in here all this time."

Niki turned her head toward her mom with a nod. There was some understanding seen in her young face; a relief to Cerina. From her child's expression, she felt some of the pressure being lifted. Though she wasn't sure just how much of it sank in, at least she knew something had gotten through.

"I get that.", Niki told her. "But if she's so bad, why do you wanna work for her?"

"I don't."

The second those two words fell from her mouth, Cerina wished she could take them back. Without thinking, she had blurted that out; a response sure to gather more questions. On that night, that was the last thing she wanted. It was true she wanted nothing to do with Vulca. This life she lead was not one of her own choosing, but this wasn't something she wanted to get into with Niki. The things that had forced her into this were far too much for someone her age. Cerina had no intention of ever telling Niki the truth about who she was, about the things Vulca made her do. As far as she was concerned, she would die with that secret.

Quickly she sprang up from the couch, pushing herself away from those soft cushions and to a standing position. Towering over her daughter, Cerina did her best to cover her slip of the tongue from seconds earlier. Her eyes shifted to the right, taking note of the polished wooden clock hanging on the wall.

"What I do with Vulca and why I do it", Cerina went on, "... its complicated. I know you're curious, but I'm afraid it will have to wait. Maybe some day... when you're older, I'll tell you more."

She said this, but of course Cerina didn't plan on ever going back to this topic. Whether her daughter was six or sixty, she never wanted her to learn the truth.

"But right now, I think its time for bed.", the mom said with closure in her voice.

Niki thrust both hands down against the fabric of the couch in protest. Her mouth opened wide as she tilted her head up toward her mom.

"But why? I'm not tired!", complained Niki in typical childhood fashion.

"Maybe not, but _I am_. Now scoot." A brief pause came to Cerina before one last thing shot out of her mouth. "And brush your teeth."

"Ah man!"

In a huff, Niki began to climb down from the couch, leaving the blanket behind. Momentarily she turned to Cerina, staring up at her mom with a pitiful expression. The look on her face in the bright lights seemed to ask 'Do I have to?'. Without the slightest word she could convey this thought to her watching mother who nodded to her.

"Go.", Mrs. Morgan instructed.

With that Niki began to stomp across the floor. In a pair of white pajamas decorated with pink alternating stripes, she made her way toward a closed door in the back of the room. All the while Cerina watched her go, still unaware of one event that had transpired that night. In their talk, Niki had left out one important detail. There had been times she considered voicing it, but in the end she simply chose to stay quiet.

It wasn't until her daughter had reached the door, with her tiny hand resting on its knob, that Cerina noticed something. The woman's blue eyes locked onto something in the distance. A sight in the far corner of the room screamed to her, sending alarms wailing in her brain. Standing frozen stiff beside the couch, she focused in on the one thing she'd over looked all that time. There in the corner was a pile of broken glass; tiny shards sticking up from the soft carpet. Clear in its appearance that glass sparkled like diamonds in the over head light. It seemed to be calling to her. Now some parents would've dismissed this as an accident. Perhaps their child had dropped something, maybe knocked a picture from a shelf. But the longer Cerina stared at that glistening pile, she began to feel something inside. There was a sickness in the pit of her stomach. Mrs. Morgan wanted to believe this was nothing, but deep down her instincts told her no.

Stern in its tone, her voice carried across their home to Niki who had one foot through the bedroom door. "Nikeera", she began, "What haven't you told me?". It wasn't anger noted in her voice, but concern. Because no matter how badly she wanted to pretend otherwise, Cerina knew what this meant.

* * *

With his hands in the pockets of a pair of faded blue jeans, Stone looked through the fog to Kari. He tried his best to picture her in the life of a rebel, yet no matter which angle his mind approached this from, it just didn't fit. Something inside had lead him to see the rebel spirit in her and yet it didn't seem to add up - at least not all the way. He couldn't see her living the way they did; moving through the night like ghosts with guns drawn, running from buildings as their rock hard structures shot up in flames. These images didn't suit her. The longer he looked at her through the haze surrounding them, the less it seemed to click for him. In his years, he'd heard stories about them. Stone was familiar with the lengths the rebel squads would go to in defiance of Vulca. In spirit he may have been able to picture Kari in that life, but judging by her appearance, it all seemed off.

Kari Miller wasn't a rough woman by design. She held a more classic beauty through the eyes of that stranger. She was small in her build, light as a feather he assumed. In the glow of the moon, Stone could see not a single scar on her lightly complected face. Though her skin was covered in dirt from her scuffle with the Cerina, Kari still looked more like a suburban housewife to him. Someone who spent their days doing laundry or driving carpool, not blowing up government buildings. In her face, one could've seen more Susan Mayer than Sydney Bristow. Hence Stone's difficulty swallowing what she'd told him. He looked on as the silvery light from above washed over her, causing her brown eyes to sparkle. The wind blew gently through her long brunette hair. This couldn't really be her life, Stone told himself. Not her. Kari had fire. He could tell that from the moment he'd seen her out there in the Drika's clutches. But a warrior? He had trouble believing that, even in spite of what his gut told him.

"So you're really a rebel?" Stone asked, again breaking through the silence of the night. "No offense, but you don't look..."

"... beat down, covered in scars, GI Jane with death on my face, and dirt up to my elbows?", Kari said dryly. She'd taken it upon herself to finish his thought.

"Your description, not mine."

Kari held in her laughter as she shook her head. There was a smirk on her face brought about by the cackles she refused to let out. She wasn't angered by his pre-conceived notions, nor was she surprised by them. A part of Stone expected the stereotype, the same thing most people expected when they thought of her rebel allies.

"I get what you're thinking, but we're not all like that.", Kari told him. "Just because I'm not some terrorizing warrior princess doesn't mean I can't stand up for what I believe in. The only thing you have to do to be a rebel is be willing to fight back. I am. Believe it or not, I have been walking this path most of my life. It doesn't show on my face, but... well, trust me. I spend way more time in battle fields than grocery stores."

"Fair enough. After all, I did feel it in you before. Its just that... well, you may not look the part, but if you're willing to stand up to that woman... you got my respect."

The two may not have known each other well, but Stone had gathered one thing in those few minutes they'd stood out there together. Kari wasn't like other women he knew. In fact, the longer he looked at her with her hair blowing gently over her shoulder and the stars' light dancing across her face, he was certain he'd never met anyone like her. She defied every picture he had in his mind of the rebels. Kari wasn't a cookie cutter woman. She, just like Stone himself, didn't appear to be a fit for society's labels. She was an original; her own woman. This was the cause of his internal confusion. In his heart he felt that she was indeed a rebel, yet his mind disputed that every time he saw her face.

Kari's thoughts about him were made painfully obvious from the very first second she saw him charging through the fog. The look on her face accompanied by the faint tone in her voice said it all. Stone's thoughts regarding her, however, were much less easy to read. He kept his feelings inside for the most part. The only thing Kari had to go on was the respect he'd verbalized. Anything else was a mystery. The truth of the matter was, Kari fascinated him to some degree. This was why he stayed there. Once seeing that she was okay, he could've easily disappeared into the night. Yet he chose not to. There he stood with her just outside the woodland area; trees shooting up behind them, raising high into the sky. Stone hadn't made any attempt to walk away. It seemed the longer he gazed at the rebel Miller, the more curious he became.

"You don't think I'm nuts for doing this?", Kari asked him. "Fighting a whole army with little more than a blaster and a stubborn streak?"

"Oh no", he corrected following some hesitation. "I think you're out of your freak'n mind. But you're not wrong. Somebody needs to put Vulca in her place. Like I said, I respect what you do out there; all of you. It takes real guts to put yourselves in the line of fire every night."

"Guts and a hint of insanity, huh?"

"Um... yeah, pretty much."

For a moment Stone's eyes shifted to the ground. Frost could be seen clinging to the tiny blades of grass surrounding his shoes. There was a silence between them, but it didn't last longer than a matter of seconds. Soon enough the man's head rose once again; his focus returning to Kari.

"How'd you get into this, anyway?", Stone inquired. "Its not exactly most people's career of choice. Its great what you're doing, but I can't help wondering. How does a woman like you arrive at this? You just wake up one morning with the urge to dodge bullets or what?"

Ah the age old question. Very few on Stregna knew who Kari really was. Most who weren't directly involved in their war saw her as just an average woman. But those few who she'd let in always went to that same place. They always found themselves asking how. They, like Stone, had trouble seeing it. Kari held the heart of a warrior, yes. Some how Stone could sense that before. But still on the outside she looked normal. Far too much so to ever wield a weapon. And so that question was always posed to her.

"I guess you could say it runs in the family. My parents were rebels too.", Kari answered.

The second those words fell from her lips, she could see a hint of surprise in Stone's face. His brow had furrowed slightly and his eyes had grown wider. This was only visible to her for a second, but that was all she needed. Her revelation had thrown him.

"You know about Cyann, right?", she asked in an attempt to elaborate on her response.

"Yeah.", he said with a nod. "She was the one who started this mess."

"Mom and Dad were among the first to stand up to her. When her armies made their opening advance on Stregna, my parents and a few others fought back. It wasn't easy for them. They were out numbered, out powered... but they refused to take the situation lying down. They knew Cyann's goal was a total take over and they fought her with everything they had."

Kari paused a moment to study Stone's face in the silvery light. She couldn't read much in it though. The man simply stood in silence, listening to her. His features didn't speak much of the thoughts in his head.

"The whole time I was growing up," the rebel continued, "I never realized what they did. They hid that from me... I guess they had to. I was too young to understand what was going on in our world. All I knew then was that Mom and Dad worked late. I never dreamed they could do anything like this. I stayed with my Aunt and Uncle most nights. They were too afraid to stand up to Cyann themselves, but they did support my parents. And so they never told me the truth either. They kept up the lie for them; kept me sheltered. Every time I would ask what my parents did for a living, they just changed the subject. Asked me about school, or... whatever they thought could take my mind off of it."

"That was probably for the best. Kids shouldn't know how cruel the world is. You're only young for a little while. You should enjoy that time while you have it."

"I guess that's what they thought too. Mom and Dad always made sure I was able to live a normal life, even though they couldn't. To me, I was just like everybody else. I had no idea how different my parents actually were."

Stone nodded, but still didn't speak. He'd never been good with conversation, especially one such as this. He didn't really know Kari and his knowledge of rebel activity was limited. What could he have possibly contributed to their talk, he wondered? Stone found himself much more comfortable letting her explain.

"It wasn't until my eighteenth birthday that they let me in on their secret.", Kari told the mysterious man. "I'd spent that whole day like any normal kid. I had a party, had my friends over, opened presents. Then that night everything changed. I was in my room studying when my parents came in. They both looked so serious standing there in the doorway. I didn't know what to think. Their expressions were so different than they usually were; so much colder than I'd seen. It was then that they sat down with me and told me what their lives were really like. They told me about Cyann and what she'd done, how she took control of Stregna, killed our former ruler. By then I'd heard some of this in school... the basics of it, but even the teachers didn't say much about it. As a teenager I was still pretty much in the dark like I had been before... until that night."

Kari stopped a moment as she wrapped her arms around herself. The bitter wind had picked up, sending a chill throughout her body. She could feel it blowing toward her, leaving her face numb. There was a howl in the distance as it whipped through the trees.

"They finally told me what they'd done all those years. Clearly I didn't know what to say. I just sat there on my bed with this blank expression. They'd hidden that from me my entire life. I wasn't upset with them for it. I just... well, what do you say when your parents suddenly tell you they're rebels against an evil government?" Kari was silent a second as she licked her lips. They'd since gone dry from the cold. "Though I was silent, they explained it all to me. They told me what Cyann thought of our people; that we were no more than possessions to her. They told me about these laws she put in place, things I'd never even heard of before. The more they talked, the more I understood why they did it. They were defending themselves and our planet. It surprised me more than words can say, but... I respected them for it. Once it all sank in and I understood it, I was honestly proud of them for taking a stand."

"So you joined because of them?"

"In part. Once they'd gotten everything out in the open, my dad just stared at me. Even now I can remember this like it was yesterday. He was quiet... I guess trying to build courage. My mom had stepped away from us. She stood there in the doorway watching. Her face held this... this mixture of worry and pride. Then my dad took my hand into his and he asked me if I would join them."

It wasn't entirely clear to Kari why she was telling Stone these things. They'd known each other no more than five minutes and there she was baring her soul to him. Logically it seemed wrong. Her brain kept telling her to stop, to just turn and walk away. But she didn't, because her heart spoke differently. This stranger she met there in the dark was someone she felt she could confide in. Despite all the reasons this could be a bad idea, she wasn't worried. One look into his baby blue eyes and she felt like she could've told him anything. Kari didn't know why, but he inspired her trust. There was just something about Stone that made her feel safe.

"I wish I could explain how I felt then," she said over the wind's howl, "but here it is all these years later and I still don't have the words. I was speechless then... and I sort of am now. Something washed over me in that moment, something I can't even begin to describe. My parents had fought for Stregna all my life and they... they wanted me to join them. My dad asked me to walk out there on that battle field with him. He trusted me. My parents wanted me to go into that war and fight right there by their side. They were heroes and they believed I could be too."

"Sounds like a nice feeling.", Stone spoke in his usual concise manner.

Kari nodded her head for lack of anything else to do. Her words had become jumbled as she spoke of her parents. The things she felt deep down inside overwhelmed her back then and still to that day. She was in her thirties standing there before the stranger Stone, yet still that same feeling came over her. Any time she thought back on her parents and the honor they'd given her, she always felt the same way.

"So that's why I fight.", Miller said in conclusion. "My parents started this war... and I'm gonna finish it. They lived for the day Stregna would be free again. And even though they're gone, I'm going to make sure that day still comes. I will fight Vulca with everything that I am... just like they did. My parents trusted me to carry on. Vulca may be stronger, her men might out number us, but some day, some how... I will make damn sure she dies."

* * *

Her mom's voice, so stern from across that room, froze Niki in her tracks. With one hand still resting on the golden knob, she could feel her muscles grow tense. Standing there all of four foot tall in the doorway to her room, the girl felt her entire body lock up with fear, paralyzing her. She knew Cerina was waiting for her to turn around, but she just couldn't. Instead she remained without motion staring into the darkness that was her bedroom. Niki could see her mother's shadow looming high on the wall beside her. Cerina was staring directly at her. She knew this even facing the opposite direction. The child's heart began to race, faster and faster with every second that she stood there. There was no escaping this. She had to be up front with her mom. Cerina would've accepted nothing else - not in a situation like this.

One by one Nikeera forced air into her lungs in short, quickly paced breaths. She could see that shadow still cast onto the wall from the corner of her eye. Seeing it there sent a chill washing over her entire body. Was there any way she could get out of this without telling her mom the truth?

In time Cerina saw to it to speak again. Her eyes hadn't left her daughter in the last minute. Her instincts were screaming to her, already filling in those blanks that Niki prayed she wouldn't have to. Cerina truly hoped she was wrong, that these pictures her imagination created were false, but deep down she knew that wasn't the case.

"Niki... honey, what happened here tonight?", Cerina asked with concern filling her voice.

There had been no sign of anger in her words. Not once she'd had time to process. All she wanted was to know the truth. There was something Niki was hiding from her. She didn't know why her daughter hadn't mentioned it before. All Cerina knew for sure was that this wasn't some accident. The feeling she had inside, a sense of terror, told her otherwise. It was one she'd only experienced one other time in her life; the day she first laid eyes on Vulca.

"Please turn around.", the woman pleaded with her daughter. "Talk to me. I can see the glass on the floor. I know you're not telling me something."

It took Cerina a moment to realize how accusing her words might've sounded. She hadn't meant them that way, but to Niki perhaps they were. Drawing in a single breath, the woman changed her approach.

"I'm not angry with you. Honestly, I'm not. I just need to know what happened."

Niki wasn't afraid of Cerina in a physical sense. Mrs. Morgan had never believed in parenting by fear. She wouldn't spank and hardly ever raised her voice. Her daughter knew she wasn't in danger. In all her six years, Cerina had never raised a hand to her. It had never even been a question between the two. Niki was safe with her. At that time the girl's fear came on a more emotional level. She knew she had crossed the line earlier that evening. Ignoring her mother's many warnings, she had done what she wanted to do. Though she saw almost immediately that it had been the wrong choice, it was too late to change it. Now it seemed she would have to face up to that choice.

What had frozen Niki so stiffly in her place wasn't a fear of her mom, only the fear of disappointing her. The two were the best of friends. They had been since the very moment a baby Niki was placed into her arms. An instant connection was made there beneath the bright lights of Cerina's hospital room. There was a bond between them that went so far beyond parent and child. This was a bond that only grew stronger with time, as life seemed to push the two of them closer. They had no one else in their lives. No friends, no family. In the end, all they had in that world was each other. Niki hated seeing disappointment fill Cerina's face, but it seemed there was no avoiding it. She'd crossed the line.

"Niki...", Cerina started again.

Ever so slowly Niki began to turn. There in the silence she forced her head to rise, looking into her mother's eyes, and seeing for the first time the worry that resonated within them. Cerina truly wasn't angry, only scared. That was made clear to the child as she watched the lamp light flow onto her mom's face. Still this didn't make Niki feel any better. She had pushed her limits. After hearing the truth about Vulca, she knew she had gone so far beyond her usual extreme. This little girl had never been a model child. She would break things, she would disregard her chores, on more than one occasion she had been literally caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Nikeera wasn't perfect and Cerina never expected her to be. Those little things about her, meaningless rules that she broke, were in fact endearing to her mom. Mrs. Morgan liked her baby's wild side because it reminded her of herself. But this wasn't something little. The more Niki heard about Vulca before, the more she realized how bad this really was. There on that couch her eyes had been opened. She finally understood why she was forbidden to leave that apartment. Those words reinforced perfectly the scene Niki kept inside; the moments she'd hidden from her mother until that time.

In a soft voice, almost too faint to hear, Niki finally spoke. Her eyes lowered, fixating on the carpet beneath her, as the words formed on her lips.

"I'm sorry.", Niki finally said in a soft voice, almost too faint to hear. "I... I didn't mean..."

"I know.", Cerina responded calmly. "Please, just come over here and tell me what happened. You aren't in trouble. I just need to know."

Cerina demanded answers, but inside she already had them. In those shards of shattered glass, she saw the truth. She knew exactly what had unfolded there that night, even before Niki had spoken a word. From the moment she saw that pile, sparkling in the lights over head, she knew. It was in that truth that her fear was born. She saw all of these images in her mind and no matter how many times she pleaded for them to be fake, she knew better. Vulca had gone too far.

Niki's steps were slow across that carpeted floor. Her head hung low as she advanced toward her mom, each tiny step looking forced. Once she'd gotten close enough, the girl felt Cerina's hand on her shoulder. The woman's touch, so kind and gentle, was meant to soothe her; to some how ease her worried mind. Gradually the two of them returned to the couch, looking eye to eye with each other. Niki was afraid of her mom's disappointment in her, but she wasn't the one Cerina was focusing on. She hadn't been the one to cross that line, even though the child felt otherwise. It was the empress who would bring forth the anger in Cerina, not her.

"How did the glass get on the floor?", Cerina asked in a voice as sweet as she could muster.

Niki couldn't answer her at first. Instead all she could do was stare.

"It was Vulca... wasn't it? She was here?", the mother continued while following her own assumption.

Cerina saw her daughter's mouth start to open. Her lips moved, but she couldn't find her voice. Each time she tried, her words would escape her long before they'd met her mom's ears. In the light of their small apartment, Cerina smiled warmly to her. In her face she hoped Niki would find comfort and ultimately the strength to come clean. In time the girl did nod, confirming Cerina's guess. This small action alone was enough to make the woman's heart sink. Vulca had been there. She'd come into her home. She was with her daughter.

"Okay.", Mrs. Morgan confirmed. "So Vulca was here. Can you tell me what she did? Just take a deep breath and think back to it. Start at the beginning and tell Mommy what happened."

The stern tone in her voice had long faded away. The more Cerina figured out, the less upset she was with Niki. Across from her, she watched the girl inhale deeply as she'd asked. And finally there it was; her daughter's soft voice emerging to fill in the many blanks in her mind.

"Well... I didn't just see Vulca tonight. I kind'a... might'a talked to her too.", Nikeera admitted. "I looked out just cause I was curious. You told me never to go in the hall, so... ya know. That just made me wanna do it more. So I peeked out and when I did, I saw that Vulca lady leaning up against the wall. She looked so sad out there. I watched her for a while and she... she started to cry. I didn't let her see me at first cause I knew you'd be mad at me for going out there. But the longer I watched her... "

"You felt bad for her, didn't you? Because she was crying?"

"Yeah. I thought maybe I could help her like you always do me. Like when I cry, you ask me to talk to you about it and stuff. So I wanted to do that for her. I know I don't know her or anything. I just thought maybe... I could make a difference."

"I understand.", Cerina told her kindly. "You have your daddy's heart, Niki. I could never be upset with you for that. Even though you didn't know her and even though I told you not to go out there, you still wanted to help. The rules didn't matter to you and that's... I guess that's okay. I don't blame you for that. You've got your dad's heart and Mommy's hard head."

"So... its really okay?"

"You broke the rules, but I'm not worried about that right now. I just need to know what happened. We can deal with everything else later. Please go on."

Things got a little easier for Niki the longer she talked. She was starting to accept the fact that she wasn't in trouble. There was no harshness in Cerina's voice, nor anger in her face. All she wanted was the truth. She didn't seem disappointed in her either, which came as a comfort to the child. This woman she considered her best friend wasn't judging the choice she made. The only thing Cerina was doing was looking for honesty.

"So even though you told me not to, I went out in the hall anyway.", Niki continued. "I asked Vulca why she was crying and she just stared at me at first. She didn't talk, she just looked down at me for a long, long time. When she finally did say something, she told me to go back inside. But I wouldn't. I came closer and... I asked her again." Niki bit down on her lip during a brief pause. "Was that the hard headed thing you were talking about?"

"Yeah, that would qualify." There was a split second's pause in Cerina's words before she continued. "So then what happened?"

"Then she just... snapped. I don't know what happened. She started yelling. I don't know what I did, but she was so mad. Like... _scary _mad. She went on and on, but I couldn't understand a lot. She was screaming at me so loud and so fast it just all got mushed together. So I started to run and I could hear her following me. I tried to close the door behind me, but she pushed it back open and she..."

As Niki spoke the words, she could see the entire scene playing out in her mind. It wasn't often things frightened her, but Vulca's rage had done just that. Never in her life had Cerina's child witnessed someone teetering so close to their emotional breaking point. Niki could still hear those screams in her mind, each one sending goosebumps up her arms just like before. She could feel her heart racing back then. She could see herself running into the apartment as fast as her legs would carry her. She ran and ran, but in the end it wasn't far enough. She had come to the far wall just as she heard the door thrust back open; the sound of scraping metal filling the room. Vulca had forced that sliding door open, storming inside. Niki recalled the anger on her face; her eyes lighting up in a fiery rage. And there she had been with nowhere to run and no one to help her. Vulca's rant continued; her fury becoming more and more severe with every passing second until finally her emotions had been let loose. The picture so clear in Niki's mind showed Vulca grabbing a vase of thick, sparkling glass up from the floor. The child had closed her eyes tightly, too afraid to move from that spot. She stood helpless with her entire body trembling. Her heart raced inside her. She had wanted so badly to yell, to scream at the top of her lungs for someone, anyone to help her. But she knew there would've been no use. Cerina was at work. She couldn't have saved her. And so she stood, shaking as that violent crash erupted around her. Vulca had thrown the vase, causing it to smash against the wall only mere inches from Niki.

Finally forcing the image from her mind, Niki's words continued at the present time. With the scene playing out in her head, the girl had described it for her mom. And so she picked up from where she'd left off.

"So I just kept my eyes closed. I don't know how long I stood there. Minutes, hours? I don't know. But when I opened them, Vulca was gone. The door was still open and the vase was smashed beside me. I didn't know what to do, so... I just closed the door back and... pretended it didn't happen. I know I should've told you before, but I thought you would've been mad at me. For... for talking to her when you said not to."

Cerina gave a sigh while absorbing what Niki had told her. Sadly the story did confirm her own fears. The moment she'd seen the glass shattered across the carpet, something inside her knew. Vulca had gone too far. She'd passed her usual cruelty toward Cerina and lashed out at Niki. This to Cerina was too much, as it would've been to any parent in her place. It sent her blood boiling. There on that couch in the lamp's light, she would've liked nothing more than to choke the life from the empress' body with her own two hands. But in spite of this, Cerina did her best to stay calm. She was furious, but in front of Niki she refused to let that show.

"Niki, I don't ever want you to hide something like this from me.", her mom told her. "No matter what the circumstances, you can tell me anything. Even if you broke the rules... you don't have to bottle these things up. I'm not mad at you now and I won't be in the future. I need you to know that you can always come to me... anytime about anything."

To her daughter's surprise, Cerina stood up from the couch. In one swift motion she swept herself up, turning back around to face the girl. Her posture was straight and her arms were held down at her sides, as stiff as boards. In her tone, there was a seriousness like Niki had never heard before. The woman's words were so cold, like those of a robot.

"I want you to go into your room and lock the door.", came her mother's command. "Don't come out until you hear my voice. Do you understand me?"

Niki was thrown by this. She had never heard her mom talk this way before. This left the girl with a mess of emotions: confusion, fear, uncertainty. What was Cerina going to do, she asked herself? What did this mean, this ice cold tone that had come to her mom's voice so suddenly? Niki's own voice was faint with fear as she stared up into Cerina's eyes. She tried not to let this show, but there was no hiding it.

"Mom, I... I don't understand.", Niki began, sounding shaken.

"I will explain everything to you when I come back. Right now, I need you to do as I ask. Go to your room and stay there until I come back for you."

"But why? What's going on?"

"I can't discuss this now. Just listen to me. I know you like to know what's going on around you and you will. I will tell you whatever you want to know later. Right now... I need you to listen. You lock that door and you stay there. No matter what you hear outside, I do not want you to leave that room for anything."

Niki had always been strong. She was just like her mother, fearless to the point of insanity. She had never been afraid of the dark, or scary movies, or even the most violent of thunderstorms. All of those traditional childhood fears never phased Nikeera Morgan. Even the sight of Vulca lashing out at her in such a rage had only shaken Niki in the moment. Once it had passed, she willed herself to get over it. But this... this was different. Staring up at her mother with that serious expression, hearing her speak in that tone that implied life or death; it terrified Niki. The girl could stand tall through almost anything, but this was one time she found her defenses down. This fear welling up inside her was over powering. She could feel her stomach turning, leaving a sickness welling up inside. It was all happening so fast. Cerina's soft, gentle tone had disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only dry, emotionless orders. The mother she knew had transformed before her eyes.

In truth this was the Cerina Niki never saw; the cold, baron killer that the rest of the world knew. The woman's feelings had been shut off just like every other night. She had willed herself to focus on a single target. Only this time that target was no civilian, but the empress herself. Coming after Niki was the one and only thing Cerina could not make herself accept. She had taken so much from Vulca over the years, but this wasn't like the others. She could not simply turn her head and pretend it never happened. Vulca had gone after her baby and that, through the eyes of loving parent Cerina, was unacceptable.

"I know you're scared right now.", Morgan said while trying to soften her approach. "You don't have to say it. But I promise you, by the time the sun comes up tomorrow everything will be fine. Just close your eyes and imagine the sunrise. Before long, you and I will be seeing it for real."

"But what about tonight?", Niki asked.

"You can't worry about that. All I need is for you to listen to me. Be strong, go into that room, and do as I ask. I will be back as soon as I possibly can."

A part of Niki wanted to listen, but she just couldn't move. Her legs had gone limp. No matter how many times her brain sent the impulse, they would not respond. And so she remained there against the soft cushions of the couch, looking up at the growing rage on her mom's face. One chill after another shot through the child's body, causing her to shiver. What she felt at that moment was a worse fear than she'd ever experienced. Most of it was brought on by the unknown. Niki didn't know what that night would hold for either of them. The short-term future was a complete mystery to her.

"Go. Honey please... just go.", Cerina begged in quiet desperation.

The fear running through Niki's body at that moment defied words. The girl felt as if she could've broke down and cried right then and there. She could even feel the tears fighting their way to the surface, but tough as she was, Niki refused to let them fall. Cerina had asked her to do one thing for her. And even though in her heart Nikeera didn't want to, she had no choice. Her mom never asked her for much. If the chores weren't done, Cerina would simply laugh it off. If she were to ignore her bedtime, the two of them had been known to watch movies until she fell asleep. Never in her life had Niki known her mom to be difficult. This was a rare occasion that she asked her so seriously to listen. There were no games here. The girl had to obey this time. And so she forced herself up from the couch, climbing down onto the floor below. Gradually she began to move toward her room. There was a great deal of hesitation in her steps, but none the less she made them.

Cerina watched in silence as her daughter walked away. She knew this was difficult for Niki, but there was no other choice. This was something that had to be done. The woman's mind had been made up from the very moment her daughter's story ended. Despite the risk, Cerina had to act. She stood firm until her daughter reached the door of her room. Seconds later, the woman heard it close. This was followed soon after by the click of the lock. She was safe.

"I love you, Niki. I have since the day the doctor put you in my arms.", Cerina said softly. Her daughter could no longer hear these words, but Mrs. Morgan spoke them anyway. "Being your mother... its changed my life in ways I could've never imagined. You have been... the only bright spot in my world since your dad passed away... and I just pray that you know that. Vulca had no right to do what she did tonight and empress or not... I will make her pay for it. You're my baby and nobody is ever going to harm you. I don't give a damn who they are."

Once those final words had fallen to silence, Cerina turned quickly. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied a cabinet near the back of the room made of hard oak. In haste, she tore across the carpet toward it; her long golden hair blowing behind her with each step. Her eyes were focused dead on the polished piece of furniture, never straying until she'd reached it. Inside was a small silver box. On it hung a lock of thick metal. Pulling its key from her pocket, Cerina simply stared at it for a time. Its metal reflected brightly in her palm, catching the light that shown over head.

"You went too far, Vulca. I have taken so much from you... but there's no way in Hell I'm going to take this. You've left me no choice."

Inside the box was a gun of the darkest black. It felt heavy to Cerina as she took it firmly into her hand. Beside it sat six silver bullets. This was her only option, she told herself.

As she stood there loading those bullets into the chamber one by one, Cerina Morgan became the single most deadly creature in existence... a parent protecting her young.


	3. Unavoidable Sin

**Chapter 3:**

**Unavoidable Sin**

The pounding of Cerina's footsteps filled the many vacant hallways of the imperial palace. Every thud her heals made against the stone floor echoed around her; their sounds like gunshots in her ears. An overwhelming mixture of adrenaline and blind rage flowed through her body, carrying her like lightning through the halls. Cerina flew past what must've been a hundred padlocked doors as she grew closer to Vulca's chamber. Each one flashed by her as little more than a blur of color on the wall. As quickly as her legs would carry her, Niki's mom tore through the halls with her long hair blowing wildly behind her. The woman's blue eyes, having grown cold, were locked straight ahead. She could feel her heart racing inside her. Each breath she took was drawn through tightly clenched teeth, exhaled in a series of angry snarls.

Cerina had no morpher to aid her, only a single gun and six bullets. She had no battelizer to rely on should the going get tough. The only boost she would have came from the adrenaline pumping itself through her veins. In fact she had no special powers at all. Cerina was no more than a woman. In spite of this, she felt no fear lurking in her heart as she grew ever closer. This was due to one simple fact as old as time itself; one Vulca had over looked. There had always been an inborn instinct in parents to protect their young. This instinct had been present in both man and beast since the beginning of time. Should a creature pose a threat to one's offspring, it was their responsibility to eliminate that threat. The urges Cerina felt were indeed primal and all-consuming. She was no longer thinking with her head. This inborn instinct was guiding her. All the things she learned through modernized society no longer factored into her decision. She was an animal and she was out for blood.

Morgan had flown across the ground so quickly. She'd taken the many twists and turns of those halls without slowing a single step. In record time she'd navigated the maze that was Vulca's palace. She could at last see the throne room lying up ahead. Only a matter of feet stood between her and the woman she seeked. Everything in Cerina was dying to lash out at Vulca, to literally beat the life from her body. This was the fury of a scorned parent.

Through frozen blue eyes, Cerina spied two armed guards at opposite sides of the door. The Drika stood tall with guns on their shoulders, just as they'd been before. Muscles bulged through their black shirts. Their bodies were like two brick walls as they watched her advance. She saw them so clearly, but didn't slow in her pace. Their massive weapons and rock hard build didn't frighten her. At that time, wild horses couldn't have slowed her. She simply kept on running with her teeth gritting slowly and her hand clenching and unclenching the gun at her side. She gazed on at the men, noting the shock in their eyes from behind their black masks.

"Ma'am, the... the empress requested that no one...", one guard began.

Cerina gave a harsh growl of a response; rage ever present in the tone. Her words sounded almost animal like as they emerged from deep within her. "You have three seconds to get the hell out of my way!", she snapped at the two of them.

The guards exchanged glances, but only for a second's time. Cerina was their superior, but they knew they had to act. There she was charging toward them like a raging bull across the floor. They had no time to consider the repercussions of their actions. And so both sprang from their places, rushing toward her. They could tell she had intent to harm the empress. They could see it in her eyes, hear it in her voice as she shouted to them in that primal roar. Neither wanted to take those steps, but the choice wasn't theirs to make. It was their duty.

Seeing one of the Drika thrust his gun forward, aiming the heavy piece of artillery at her, Cerina had no time to consider her options. She was staring down the barrel of his blaster. A single wasted second could've meant her end. Weaving slightly in her path, she forced herself into the air, and kicked the weapon away from him. It sailed from the Drika's hand, then to the ground, flying far from his reach. Following this, gravity took its course, pulling Cerina back down to the floor. The woman ducked her head, just as the other guard drew his weapon. As she'd anticipated, things had gone too quickly. He couldn't think and thus fired blindly. The red light emerging from the barrel of his gun sliced through the other guard's torso, sending his body up in a ball of blazing fire. Up once again as the flames danced across her tanned face, Cerina grabbed the arm of the remaining guard. With her grip held so tightly to his forearm, the gun served no purpose. He could no longer aim and so he found himself powerless. Before the black clad man knew what had happened, he felt a sharp pain shooting up through him as Cerina drove her knee into his stomach. In a natural reaction, Vulca's remaining guard doubled over in pain as his female opponent forced her clenched fist into his face. She could hear bones cracking as her knuckles collided with his jaw. Through the force of her blow, the man was knocked from his feet. A fear could be seen in his eyes as he hit the ground, left only to stare up at Cerina. His entire face felt as if it was on fire, this pain nearly bringing him to tears. A split second later, it was over. She had forced her body into a tornado kick, spinning in one swift motion, and sending her leg smashing into the side of his head. He was out cold, the man's body falling limp against the ground.

In all of the confrontation, Cerina had made certain not to waste what little ammunition she had. There were six bullets held within the chamber of her gun. Wasting even one on the likes of the Drika could've proven deadly. The second she passed through that door, she would be in for the fight of her life. Each of those tiny silver bullets would be necessary to carry her through.

Cerina took one final look around, making sure the coast was clear. A few stray flames continued to burn over what was left of the first guard's body. The second lay still with his eyes shut and his jaw out of joint.

"I warned you. _You _didn't listen.", Cerina spoke with her tone as cold as ice.

The guards had fallen. Now it seemed nothing stood between Morgan and her new found enemy. As she stared up at the wide, looming entrance to Vulca's chamber, she began to think about her life. Three years had been wasted slaving away in that palace. The entire time Cerina told herself she was doing what she had to do. She convinced herself that every life she took on Vulca's command was for the best - to save another life: Niki's. She forced herself to believe that her daughter's safety depended on her following orders. But the longer she stared into that big open room ahead, something dawned on her. Niki was no safer in the palace than she'd been before. The things Vulca had said to her once no longer mattered, because in truth Niki was still in harm's way. The empress' emotional problems resulting from Cyann's death had put her daughter into the line of fire. This was what fueled Cerina's rage. All the horrible things she'd done in recent years had been to protect her angel, but it had been a waste. Thousands had lost their lives and Nikeera still wasn't safe.

Shaking these thoughts from her mind, Cerina resumed her steps. Moving stiffly into the bright lights of the marble throne room, she looked straight ahead. The clicking of her heals was slower now as she made her advance. There were no guards to speak of. The entire room seemed empty. Everything was silent around Mrs. Morgan at first. It was an eerie silence, one that weighed down upon her. She felt uneasy there beneath those white lights, as if at any moment another Drika soldier could take her by surprise. Now filled with caution, she peered over her shoulder. Nothing. Only emptiness, the same as the rest of the room. She looked to be alone there, but as most know, looks can be deceiving.

The sudden sound of a voice around her made Cerina's eyes shift up in an instant. This voice, from out of nowhere, boomed off of the bare walls. It seemed to circle around her, coming from not one direction, but all four. This sound was amplified by the high ceiling and walls without decoration. It was loud, impossible to trace, yet still familiar to her. This voice was Vulca's, so dull and empty.

"I've been expecting you, Cerina.", Vulca said; heard, but unseen.

The calm heard in those words infuriated the mother. Her eyes shifted around the room. She searched in silence every corner of the empress' chamber and yet Vulca was nowhere in sight. That voice had come washing over her, but by all appearances, Mrs. Morgan was still alone. Enraged, her head began to whip around in all directions. Once again a loud cry escaped from within her. It, like Vucla's words, echoed throughout the empty room.

"Where are you? Show yourself!", Cerina shouted.

"I know why you've returned.", boomed the voice. "That brat told you of our encounter, I trust. You wish to avenge your child?"

"Don't toy with me! Get out here!"

Cerina's breaths became more rapid while listening to the voice of the empress resonate around her. In a single quick motion, she extended her weapon, pointing the gun straight ahead. She could feel its black casing warm against both hands as she clutched to it. The woman's eyes still shifted around her, but slower now. Her finger rested upon the trigger. Her muscles were tensed, ready to fire at the first sign of the woman she once served.

Seeing no trace of Vulca, Cerina was left without many choices. Tilting her head back, she continued to shout up into the ceiling. She may not have been able to see her, but she knew Vulca was there... somewhere. She could hear every furious word that fell from Cerina's mouth.

"We had a deal!", the former slave cried in anger. "When I gave my life to you, we made a deal!"

Vulca made herself known once again, but just as before this was in voice only. Every word that echoed around Cerina only caused her anger to grow stronger. It was eating away at her. With each second that passed, she longed for the sound of that gun's fire.

"I recall.", Vulca replied still without feeling.

"You promised me you'd leave Niki out of this! Despite everything I believed, I sold my soul to you and this... _this _is how you repay me? I have followed your orders without question for three years! You told me to kill and I did it! I _actually _did it! To Hell with my own heart, I listened to you!"

"Indeed. You have been a model slave through out these years."

"Then why wasn't that good enough? I did everything right and you still crossed the line! The only thing I ever asked of you was to let Niki be! Was that so damn difficult?"

The only response Morgan got was laughter. Sick, twisted laughter flowed all around her in that room. The sound of it made Cerina want to shoot blindly into the air. She wanted so badly to forget it all and just open fire. But as she stared down at the gun in her hands, she knew that would be potential suicide. She had six bullets enclosed there. To fire then would be to waste them, thus leaving her defenseless against this woman. No matter how much she hated it, Cerina had to keep herself from losing control. She had to wait for the right moment or it would all be over.

"You think you're so tough?", Cerina's furious snarls continued. "Vulca, empress of all she surveys! Well come out here and prove it! If you're so superior, don't you hide from me! You know what you did! Come out here and face it! Face _me_, you cocky, black hearted, power hungry bitch!"

Cerina shouted so loud and so long into the rafters that her throat began to burn. She would've given anything to see Vulca's face in that moment. She longed to stare into her cold green eyes, to see that sick smile form across her face, and mostly to watch without regret as a shower of bullets pierced through her body.

A few seconds more passed by in silence before her wish was granted. Cerina stared on without blinking as a funnel of energy appeared before her. Its many bands twisted around themselves looking to her like a tornado made of pure blue light. This was a phenomenon she'd seen many times throughout her years there. Morgan knew what it meant. She could feel her heart rate begin to pick up once again as she stared cold and hard into that light. And finally once it began to fade, she could see Vulca's form standing in its place. She was right there for her. Only inches stood between them.

The empress stood there just as Cerina had pictured. Her face held hardly any emotion at all behind the black vale. Vulca's long blue gown swayed gently in the breeze that blew in from over the balcony's rail. Clutched tightly in the ruler's hand was a scepter. The mere sight of her brought out the worst in Cerina.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't pull this trigger and send you to Hell just like your mother.", Cerina asked of the woman who'd once owned her soul.

A smile slowly formed on Vulca's lips. The gun held so tightly in Cerina's hands was indeed obvious to her. She could see it well there beneath the bright lights of her chamber and yet Vulca felt nothing. She never so much as flinched, nor did she hold even the slightest hint of fear in her eyes. The empress stood tall there with the smile growing ever wider across her pale face. In her voice there was a sign of cockiness. Even with the weapon in Cerina's grasp, Vulca's outlook on the world didn't change. It was as if the gun didn't exist at all.

"Oh Cerina, can you really be that blind?", Vulca began. "You can't harm me. You never _could_. I own this world along with everything in it... and that includes you. You are just as powerless against me today as you were three years ago."

With an angry snarl, Cerina once again extended her arms stiffly. There she was with the wind blowing gently through her locks of golden hair and Vulca held tightly in her gaze. The empress stood not ten feet away, staring down the barrel of a loaded gun. One shot, Cerina told herself. One shot. Vulca was right there for her. Slowly her finger began to move, growing ever closer to the trigger. She could already hear the blast in her mind; that ear splitting bang that would send a bullet flying into the empress' black heart.

Vulca continued. She spoke in the same light, careless tone as before, in spite of the loaded weapon. "You remember that day, don't you?", the empress asked. "You had just returned from your meaningless nine to five job, still heart broken over the death of your beloved husband. You looked so lost without John by your side, like your entire world had died with him. It was almost painful to watch."

The day Vulca spoke of was one Cerina remembered well. It had haunted her ever since. Visions from it had come to her so many times, waking her in the dead of night. She would rise in her bed covered in a cold sweat; her body trembling. There she would sit staring out at the moon and waiting as those images forced their way back to her. Cerina could see it just as clearly while Vulca spoke as she could on all those other nights. The pictures that flowed through her mind were crystal clear, despite the times she'd prayed they fade. Memories of that Spring day, Morgan feared, were something she would have to live with for the rest of her life.

**- Flashback -**

**April 2007**

The weather outside was crisp and clear on that Spring day. Cerina could feel the warm sun shining across her back as she turned her key in the lock, but still her body felt cold. Seconds passed before the door of her small suburban home opened. All seemed normal to her from her spot atop the concrete porch. Normal, yet still very wrong. Another day of work had come and gone, though she recalled nothing from it. It had been nearly a week since her husband John's death, yet her mind was still with him. She saw him everywhere she went. On the street, in the window of the coffee shop she passed each morning, in the elevator of the giant high rise office building in which she worked. No matter where she went, John Morgan was there; in her heart and in her mind. These visions were always lurking within, but they were at their strongest in times like this one. Moving through the doorway into the home they once shared, Cerina sensed him all around her. She felt John in their family photos that hung on the walls, in his jacket still draped over a chair in the distance, and in the couch where they'd spent so many nights. Each time she passed through that door, Cerina was reminded of what she lost. Even the air in their home made her think of him.

Each day since his death had been the same for her. Cerina simply found herself going through the motions. She would get up each morning just like before, spend her day behind the same desk, walk home on the same streets, but her mind wasn't there. The further she moved into her home at that moment, she began to realize how distant she really was. The woman could remember nothing she'd done that day. None of the conversations she'd had sank in. None of the papers she'd filed made any impression. It was all just one big blur.

Life for her would've been unbearable were it not for one thing; the only part of John she had left to hold onto: their daughter. Niki was the one and only reason Cerina forced herself out of bed each morning. Were it not for the comfort brought by Niki's smiling face, Cerina knew where she'd have been. She'd have locked herself in her room, drawn the shades, and shut out the whole world. Nikeera was the only thing that kept her going. And so as she closed the door, the woman gazed up a set of dimly lit stairs. Her heart ached, but she knew at the top of those stairs was her salvation. In Niki's eyes she would find peace. Moving quickly with her heals tapping against the hardwood floor, she called up to her.

"Niki! Mommy's home!"

No response was heard. Only silence was present there, yet Cerina thought nothing of it. Her steps grew ever quicker as she made her way closer to Niki's room. The mom carried herself up those stairs in a pair of tight fitting blue jeans with a maroon T-shirt tucked into them. Her hair, shorter then, was tied back into a pony tail. Two at a time she rushed up those steps, already seeing the face of her child there in her mind. In no time at all she found herself rounding the corner with one hand resting on the banister. The door ahead of her was ajar. A few rays of sunlight shown out from the crack and onto the freshly polished wood floor.

"Niki!", the then-three-year-old's mom called again.

The entire house was silent. The closer she came to the door, Cerina began to consider how odd this was. It wasn't like her daughter to nap so late in the day... or _at all_. It seemed slightly off for their home to be this quiet. She found herself questioning it, but nothing could've prepared her for what lay behind that door.

The hinges of Niki's door squeaked loudly as Cerina began to push it open. Every inch that it moved allowed more sunlight to escape into the otherwise dark hallway. The mother had taken only two steps into the room before she froze in place. Every muscle in her body locked up there in the entryway; her breath catching in her throat. The sight laid out before Cerina left her cold. Her mouth hung open, yet no words formed. She was paralyzed. All she could do was stare in disbelief. There against the plush white carpet was the body of her daughter's baby-sitter. The sun's light through the window shown across the girl as if highlighting the carnage. The figure was sprawled there in that golden glow with her arms outstretched and her mouth agape in a scream that was never heard. Her eyes were open, but unmoving; frozen in horror. Cerina's stomach began to turn when she noticed the girl's throat - slit open. Blood ran from it, puddling onto the carpet around her. She was dead. The longer Mrs. Morgan stared, the more sick she felt. She would've given anything to look away, but she simply couldn't. She was trapped there staring at the girl lifeless on her daughter's floor. This was the first time since John's death that his wife hadn't focused on him. In that moment, all Cerina could see was that body lying there in a pool of its own crimson blood. Nothing else registered.

She was unclear how many minutes had passed. Even to this day Cerina didn't know how long she'd stood there in that doorway. The bright red slash across the girl's throat screamed to her. She couldn't look away, couldn't close her eyes. She was helpless, left fixated on it.

Dead. The word repeated itself over and over in Cerina's head. How could this have happened? Their neighborhood had never been known for violence like this. Only the Drika would've been cruel enough to kill a girl no older than her early twenties. But those soldiers had never been known to leave their victims lay. So who?, she wondered to herself when at last she was capable of coherent thought. Who would've done this? Cerina searched her mind for answers, but none came. Though she didn't know the girl well, she'd never known her to be involved in dangerous activities. She'd always seemed sweet and responsible, those times Cerina had spoken with her. This all seemed so out of place. Someone like her, with her whole life ahead of her, laying dead there in the sun. For a time Morgan wondered if this was even real. Did she fall asleep some how? Had her eyes closed at work, allowing her to drift off? It was true Cerina hadn't gotten much sleep since John passed, but she was almost certain it hadn't caught up with her in that way. The longer she stared, she did shake those feelings. This was too graphic. The blood was too bright, her sickness too strong. There was no way her brain could've conjured something like this. It _had _to be real.

Who knows how long Cerina stood frozen? The sight of that innocent girl whose life had been stripped away by a single sharpened blade terrified her. But in time the reality of the situation sank in. The baby-sitter was gone, but that wasn't the only issue.

A word, so faint, escaped Cerina's throat. "Niki..." This was the first she'd spoken since laying eyes on the poor, lifeless form.

Finally she realized how far this went. Not only was the baby-sitter dead, but her child was nowhere in sight. That thought caused her entire body to tremble with a fear unlike any other. Cerina's hand latched quickly onto the door frame. Her long, unpainted nails dug into its grain as she tried to keep herself from collapsing. She could feel her knees beginning to buckle beneath her. All that kept her standing was the grip she had on that frame. As panic washed over her, Cerina heard the sound of her own voice once again. No thought had been given to these words. They just fell from her lips before she even knew she was speaking.

"Nikeera!", she shouted. "Niki, are you here?"

Still nothing. The only sound there in that house was that of her own voice stricken with fear.

"_Niki_!"

The truth, hard as it was, finally made itself clear to her. The sitter was dead and her baby was gone. Cerina could fight no longer. Releasing her grip on the door's frame, she allowed herself to fall to her knees against the carpet. It felt as if the entire room was spinning around her. Her head throbbed with pain and her heart pounded like a jackhammer inside her. This can't be happening, she screamed inside. First she lost John and now it seemed their daughter was gone too. Rational thought was not possible for the mother in that moment. Her emotions took control, leaving her trembling there in the floor. A trail of tears began to run down her cheeks when she noticed something ahead of her. A stuffed bear, pink in color, lay on the floor by the window. Next to Cerina herself, this was the three-year-old Niki's best friend. She never went anywhere without it. The sight of the toy laying forgotten inches from the sitter's body drove the point home. It felt more real some how as Cerina stared through her tears to that stuffed bear.

"Baby...", Cerina gasped through her fear.

She didn't know what had happened. Her mind was filled with possibilities, all too frightening to entertain. As her tears continued to fall, she could hear herself start to sob. She was helpless. Niki was gone and her mom had no one to turn to. John was dead, she had no other family worth speaking of, and the only law enforcement on Stregna came in the form of the Drika. No one could help her. No one _would _help her. She could've shouted it from the window until her throat was raw and still no one would've come. Stregna was a dark and scary place, especially for someone like Cerina who was forced to live in it alone.

It took at least fifteen minutes there huddled close to the floor before Cerina realized that her daughter's bear was not the only thing left behind. Her blue eyes shifted up slightly and through her tears she saw something in the windowsill. Prior to that point, she hadn't noticed it there. It wasn't clear to Cerina if it even _had _been there the whole time, but this didn't matter to her. The object to draw her attention was a solid black envelope leaning up in the window. From her distance, the grief stricken mother could see her name written across it in a perfectly contrasting white; the letters in script. Just the sight of it made her heart sink. What did this mean?

Her body didn't want to move, but she couldn't pry her mind away from that envelope. Maybe it held answers. Maybe it could help her find her child. Whatever waited inside, she had to know. And so she forced herself up once again, fighting the quaking of her legs and the pounding in her brain. Wiping a few stray tears from her now red cheeks, Cerina advanced across the blood stained carpet to the window. She took the envelope into her hand, staring down at her name on its front. A few seconds passed before she tore it open using the nail of her index finger. Inside was a letter folded in fourths. Cerina unfolded the paper, equally as dark as the envelope that once held it. A gasp escaped her as she began to read its words. Each one sent her heart racing faster and faster.

_Welcome home, Cerina._

_I am certain you're wondering where Nikeera has gone. I assure you, the child is unharmed. Should you choose to follow my instructions, she will stay that way. You have one hour to report to the forest just beyond Sector 8. Come alone, unarmed. You do and your daughter will be waiting for you. Refuse me and I'm sure your imagination can fill in the blank._

_Safe journey, Mrs. Morgan. The clock is ticking._

_Vulca_

As her eyes swept over that final word, Cerina felt the letter begin to slip from her fingers. She watched without motion as it drifted down to the carpet below. The words seen on that black page remained in her mind long after the letter had fallen. She heard them over and over again in her head as the sun started to flicker across her face. Everything looked so bright and perfect through that window. The world was truly beautiful on the other side of the glass. But in there Cerina was covered by darkness, at least in an emotional sense. An innocent girl lay dead at her feet and her daughter was out there somewhere. Cerina didn't know what the empress wanted with her. That question eventually forced its way into her head. Why would Vulca have done this to her? Why was _she _so special? In truth she still hadn't gotten an answer to this question, even in present day. But in that particular moment, Cerina couldn't make herself care why. Vulca had her daughter and she would do whatever it took to get her back.

Sadly for Cerina, she had no idea the lengths she would go to in those years that followed. Never could she have imagined the turn her life would take or just how far she would go to keep her daughter safe.

**- End of Flashback -**

Vulca, in her stiff stance, could see the vacancy in Cerina's eyes. She needed no words to know just where her mind had gone. It never took much for Mrs. Morgan to drift back to that day. It had haunted her for so many years that even the mere mention could send her spiraling back in time. Vulca was aware of this. As she looked on, the empress spoke not a word, simply allowing Cerina's own mind to torture her. And finally when she noticed her former assassin start to shake those memories away, she let her emotionless voice shatter the silence.

"Did you enjoy that trip down memory lane?", Vulca questioned her.

Now free of her memories, Cerina only growled in response.

"You see?", the empress went on. "You were powerless against me then. You gave up everything you believed in and gave yourself to me. If you could've killed me, you'd have done so in the woods. You understood so well back then. What makes you think you can end my life now?"

"I was weak then. You knew that. You saw me grieving over John and you took advantage. There was nobody I could turn to. I didn't have any choice but to give in to you. For my daughter's sake, I did what you asked."

"So what's changed? You're still alone. You still miss that husband of yours."

"Maybe.", Cerina admitted with a coldness lurking in her tone. "But I'm different now. These years I've spent killing for you... they've changed me. I may not have had the power to shut your ass up three years ago, but I do now. I'm a living weapon and I have _you _to thank for that. I could pull this trigger and feel nothing at all."

It was clear to Cerina that she was digging herself a hole. With every harsh word she spoke, she found herself sinking deeper and deeper. The woman was very much aware that she may not be able to get out of this, but that didn't matter to her. The truth had finally been shown to her in those shards of glass on her floor. She gave up her entire life to keep Niki safe. Once Vulca had kidnapped the girl, Cerina followed orders. She had done everything the empress commanded to make certain Nikeera lived. But on that night she realized something very important. Niki was no safer then than she'd been three years prior. Vulca was emotionally unstable. Cyann's death had left her mind in ruins. That woman was like a ticking time bomb; the slightest thing could set her off. After all Cerina had done to protect her daughter, it was clear to her that she'd been wrong. Niki would never truly be safe under the same roof as the empress. Thus it was time to end the alliance she'd been forced into. The only way out, Cerina knew, was to send a bullet straight through Vulca's heart.

Cerina's mindset shifted slightly as her hands gripped and ungripped the gun, still pointed directly at Vulca.

"All these years I told myself I was protecting Niki.", Mrs. Morgan expressed. "Every time I fired a shot, I made myself believe I was saving her, but I see it now. Cyann's death has left you so screwed up that you would go off on a six-year-old child. You aren't just cruel, Vulca. You're crazy. My daughter will _never _be safe here as long as you're alive. I couldn't see it then, but now... I understand what I have to do. And thanks to you... I can do it. You've destroyed so much of my heart in these years. I could blow your damn head off and not feel a thing."

Despite the fury in Cerina's eyes and the hatred present in her voice, Vulca was amused. A laugh, just as twisted as before, could be heard rising up from within her. The woman was staring down the barrel of a loaded gun and was _actually _laughing. This only confirmed for Cerina what she already knew. Vulca truly _was _crazy. Watching her mother die all those years ago had mentally destroyed her. She feared nothing, fore her mind was too far gone.

Still looking eye to eye with the gun wielding woman, Vulca spoke. Ever so calmly her voice carried across the cold wind blowing over the balcony. "You wish to terminate our alliance, so be it. Fire your weapon. But keep this in mind. If you do, by some small chance, manage to kill me... I won't be the only one leaving this world. My soldiers will find you _and _that brat and send you both to the other side." She paused, but only long enough to flash a sick, sadistic smile. "Go ahead. If you think you can survive, shoot me. I promise you, you won't just be ending my life. If I die here, so do you... _and _your daughter."

That was all it took. The anger had been boiling up inside Cerina throughout their entire conversation. The threat posed toward Niki was the last straw, what finally sent that mother over the edge. It may have been suicide, but she went for it. Looking Vulca squarely in the eye, Cerina drew in a deep breath and pulled the trigger. Standing tall beneath the lights of the throne room, she opened fire on the empress.

Morgan watched without feeling as the bullets flew from her gun. One after another they were discharged; each shot giving off an ear splitting pop that rang through the air. Once, twice, three times; over and over she rapidly pulled that trigger. The sight of the hot lead being released left a twisted joy in Cerina's heart. To watch them fly with such accuracy toward Vulca brought a smile to her crimson lips. The starlight from the balcony sparkled in her unblinking eyes. Her head tilted up slightly as the wind continued to blow through her hair. This was it, the moment she'd been waiting for. For the past three years, she'd longed for little more than to watch that lead pierce Vulca's heart. This was her chance. Each shot she fired left Morgan feeling more and more empowered. Shells fell forgotten at her feet as those bullets were released. In no more than three seconds' time, the entire chamber had been unloaded.

Yes, Cerina dreamed of Vulca's end. As she drew her breath through clenched teeth, she began to imagine that woman's life being taken from her by the force of a tiny silver bullet. Sadly for Cerina, this dream she held so tightly to wasn't to become a reality. Horror suddenly filled her blue eyes as the result of her rapid fire was presented. In her haste, Morgan had never entertained this possibility, that her attack could fail - not even for a second. She had allowed herself to be controlled by her rage, a mistake that could very easily lead to her end.

Vulca's eyes squinted in the milliseconds it took for those bullets to travel toward her. A shower of burning lead was ready to pour down upon her, yet still she didn't seem concerned. Her expression hadn't changed even as those shots rang out around her. Though Cerina underestimated the empress' power, Vulca herself did not. She knew what she was capable of. The scepter held tightly in her hand would prove to be Vulca's life line. Atop a long black rod sat a glass ball. Surrounding it were metal spikes, twisting and weaving around the orb like vines of ivy. In a single swift motion, Vulca extended her hand and watched as that glass sphere began to glow. A light so majestic could be seen in its center. Tiny sparkles of blue swirled around inside it. In time this breath taking display of color emerged beyond its glass prison and out into the bitter air of the throne room. Still twisting around itself, the light hovered in front of Vulca, shielding her face from view. Cerina could no longer see her, but what her eyes did behold left her stomach in knots. One by one those bullets she'd so proudly fired collided with the light, melting before they even hit the ground. All six had been reduced to a puddle of silver liquid at Vulca's feet.

Cerina's mouth fell open, but she found no words. It was clear what her lapse of judgment had potentially cost her. The light soon began to fade, returning clear sight to Vulca. There she stood unharmed. Not a single scratch could be seen on her pale, starlit face. This magic she'd some how acquired had saved her.

"Disappointed?", Vulca asked confidently. "I told you it wouldn't work. You couldn't kill me before and you can't do it now."

"Don't bet on it.", Cerina shot back through tightly clenched teeth.

Throwing caution to the wind, she charged across the floor. With her hair whipping around behind her and her heals pounding against the hard stone, she headed straight for Vulca. The woman's heart raced and her eyes were a blaze with passion. Closer and closer she grew, ready and willing to tear the empress apart with her bare hands.

Was this the wisest plan in the world? Of course not. But Cerina Morgan had never been a believer in the saying 'Look before you leap'. Instead, she was a woman guided by her emotions. All too often she would let her heart take the wheel, forcing her brain to the backseat. Throughout her entire life she'd been known for this. Even as a child she'd been rarely able to think these things through. The ideas that made their way into her head always sounded good at the time, but hardly ever did they turn out the way she pictured. Giving herself to Vulca those years ago, storming in with a loaded gun and opening fire, and now charging full speed toward the empress with only her rage as a defense. These were all examples of Cerina's impulsive nature. When she found herself like this, so over come with emotion, rational thought was nothing but a distant memory.

Seconds before reaching Vulca, she saw the orb atop the ruler's staff start to glow once again. Its blue energy emerged, sending a wall of hot sparks shooting up in Cerina's path. They rose from the floor in a split second, causing the attacking woman to gasp. So sudden, that blast knocked her off her feet, forcing her to drop low and roll across the floor to avoid its impact. Falling into a somersault, Cerina was able to distance herself. Immediately after, she came to a crouching position with her back toVulca. A quick gaze over her shoulder previewed what was to come. Vulca was seen moving toward her like lightning, the scepter still held tightly in her hands.

In all her time there, Mrs. Morgan had never witnessed something like this. Vulca didn't fight. It was a well known fact within the imperial palace. Cerina had always been the one to do her dirty work. Though that night was proving different. There was the empress speeding toward her, staff gripped tightly with both hands, ready to strike. Cerina didn't know what to expect in those minutes to follow. She'd never seen Vulca in physical battle. Her skill level was a mystery, leaving Niki's mother at a serious disadvantage. She found herself unarmed and up against an opponent whose style was unfamiliar to her. This was the hole she dug for herself by allowing her love for Niki to blind her. Cerina's intentions were good. She loved her child with every fiber of her being, yet the lack of forethought was proving to be an issue. Once again she'd dug herself in too deep.

Cerina's brain struggled to come up with a solution. Vulca was closing in on her. How should she handle this? On impulse, Cerina once again aimed the gun and attempted to fire. With each pull of the trigger, however, all she heard were faint clicks. The chamber was empty, the weapon useless. In her head she already knew that. Her attempt to shoot was nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction. Seeing that she'd wasted her ammunition, Cerina cast the gun aside. Releasing her grip, she tossed it across the floor and prepared to handle this on her own.

Once crossing the floor, Vulca thrust her staff down in anger toward Cerina. The empress' face was covered with an intense fury. A mere second before impact, Cerina was able to catch the impending staff with her hands. She gripped tightly to its solid black rod, holding it back only inches from her face. She could feel Vulca forcing it down. With all her strength her former master tried to complete the attack. This left the two of them at a sort of stand off. Both women's hands were latched around the scepter, their muscles pushing it in opposite directions. Vulca would attempt to force it forward, while Cerina did her best to hold it back. They were stuck there, face to face with each other.

"Why couldn't you just leave it alone?", Cerina cried. "Why did you have to turn your anger on my daughter? You could've walked away! You could've stopped this from happening!"

"That kid's just like you. She doesn't know when to _shut up_! I told her to leave, but she just kept pushing! Just like her mother, she's too stubborn for her own good!"

Throughout their harshly spoken words, the two women continued to struggle with the staff between them. Both of their hearts were pounding rapidly; their faces perfectly depicting the strain they felt.

"She got what she deserved!", screamed the empress in rage. "Next time she'll keep her damn mouth shut!"

Hearing this, Cerina found the strength to come up from her spot near the floor. Putting all her strength into her knees, she was able to stand, in spite of Vulca's opposing strength directed into the staff they held. Once up, Cerina released her grip on the weapon and ducked as it sailed over her head. In a violent swipe, Vulca had sent the staff toward her, but due to her ducking, it barely missed her. An angered growl was the only response Cerina heard as she stepped backwards, creating more distance between them.

"She was trying to help you... like I did!", Niki's mom insisted. "You just won't listen! You hang onto to this pain for dear life, Vulca, and I don't get that! You'd rather suffer day after day than let anybody be there for you! I tried, in spite of what you did to me. Niki tried, but you just cast out the whole world."

"None of you can help me! All you do is make it worse! You push and you push, but your words won't bring my mother back!"

A furious cry escaped from deep within the empress as she fired another blast. Blue energy shot forth from the sphere of her staff, colliding with Cerina's chest. The burning spread throughout her entire body, sending a cry of agony from the former assassin's mouth. The sparks flew from Mrs. Morgan's silver uniform as she fell backwards to the floor. Through the smoke that rose up from her jacket, Cerina could see Vulca charging once again. Still on her back, she rolled out of the way, just as the empress thrust the weapon down where she had laid seconds before. The sound of those metal spikes colliding with the stone floor rang throughout the palace, accompanied by another of many snarls from its holder.

Ignoring the pain, Cerina jumped back to her feet. Again the staff was sent toward her in a violent motion. With one hand she was able to catch it, forcing it away, and giving her a clear shot for the first time. Balling up her other hand tightly, Cerina drove her fist into Vulca's face. A sick crunching sound was heard as bone collided with bone. Vulca staggered back as a trail of bright red blood ran down her cheek. At first this surprised Cerina. That is until she remembered the wedding ring on her finger. The diamond John had given her had slit Vulca's face open, drawing forth the crimson blood. Drops of it could still be seen on the diamond itself which Cerina gazed down to in the bright lights.

Both women's emotions were running on high that night. In Cerina's mind she could see visions of Niki smiling back at her. It was for her daughter that she fought and for her that she ignored her own pain. The same could be said for Vulca who saw age old visions of Cyann passing through her brain. The loss of her mother was the cause of every wrong she'd done in her life. Her grief had single handedly destroyed the sweet person she once was, leaving behind only a monster.

With her eyes all a blaze, Cerina forced herself up. Into the ice cold air she flew, flipping twice, and sending both feet smashing into the empress. As gravity forced Cerina back to the ground, she caught a glimpse of Vulca stumbling backward. The aerial assault had forced Vulca's defenses away. This was her chance. She had to strike again while her former master's guard was down. And so the second her heals returned to the stone of the palace floor, Cerina charged toward her. A swift punch was delivered to Vulca's jaw. Following this, Cerina twisted her upper body slightly to the left, driving the elbow of the same arm into the woman's mouth. In her peripheral vision, Mrs. Morgan could see the blood flowing down her enemy's chin. It fell so quickly, soaking the blue gown that covered her body.

Vulca's entire face burned with pain. This was the first time she was able to imagine what her mom must've felt. Moments before Cyann's death, she and Andros had been locked in battle just like this. Never before had Vulca been able to understand the blows the Red Ranger delivered. Only then that she felt her muscles aching, felt the sharp, agonizing pain running through her face, and tasted the blood as it poured from her open mouth... only then could she truly put herself in Cyann's shoes.

For a time, Vulca backed off. Her steps gave her distance, but she wasn't out of Cerina's sights. The other woman still stood tall with the moonlight reflecting off of her silver ladies suit. The empress remained held so tightly in the gaze of those furious blue eyes. No matter how far she moved away, she could've never escaped Cerina's visual hold.

"I've made excuses for you all these years.", the ex-assassin spoke up again. "I kept telling myself you were only hurt; that watching your mother die did this to you. And maybe it did, but you crossed the line when you took it out on my daughter. I don't care what your reasons are for this... this madness. I don't care how messed up Andros left you. You went too far."

Again Cerina advanced toward Vulca. One quickly paced step at a time, she tore across the floor, ready to rip her limb from limb. This, like the battle itself, had been given little forethought. The second she came within arm's length of the blood soaked Vulca, she saw the error of her ways. The empress quickly latched onto Cerina's throat; her long, dagger-like nails digging deeply into her flesh. They felt like knives piercing into Cerina's skin as the two stared eye to eye with each other once again. In a powerful motion, Vulca thrust her arm out, sending Cerina flying. Soon enough her former enforcer hit the ground rolling. The shoulder on which Morgan landed throbbed with pain. The sensation radiated up and down the entire left side of her body. From the moment she collided with the cold stone floor, she realized just how out matched she was.

Cerina gasped for breath. Her golden hair hung over her face, obstructing her vision. But even without the benefit of sight, she knew what was coming. In the distance she could hear a crackling. The noise so soft in the silence of the night caused her heart to stop beating. For a second's time her entire body froze in fear. When finally she brushed those locks of hair from her eyes, Cerina was met with a sight that stole the breath from her lungs. Vulca stood a few feet away from her with the staff still held in one hand. In its glass sphere, she spied the blue light swirling around once again. This had been the crackling to bring fear to her widened eyes. Cerina's mouth dropped open slightly as she saw the light start to rise. Through the glass it came, hovering in the air. The sparkles of blue energy could be seen dancing across the pale skin of Vulca's face and causing the blood on her chin to glisten. This was it, Cerina said to herself. At any second Vulca could fire. There was no time to avoid. She was a sitting duck.

The empress was very much aware of this fact. The smile on her face proved that the two shared the same thought.

"You made a mistake coming here.", Vulca observed, licking her bright red lips. "Standing up for that daughter of yours is admirable, but I'm afraid it just wasn't smart. That gesture, Cerina, will be the last one you ever make." She paused with another sick grin. "But don't worry. Niki will join you soon. Loving mother that you are, you can carry her piggyback right through the gates of Hell."

Cerina was powerless to stop what was about to happen. She couldn't have moved in time. She was defenseless, but that didn't stop her from shouting in anger across the throne room. Only a fragment escaped her mouth before the blue light from the staff began to speed toward her.

"You little...!", Cerina began only to hear her threat cut short.

Just as that final cry formed on her crimson lips, Cerina felt the blast connect. With it, her words fell away. The light that surrounded her was so bright, it proved blinding. No longer could she see the marble walls of the palace or Vulca's face full of joy. The only thing she could make out was the blue glow of the blast sparkling like diamonds all around her. A burning sensation filled her entire body, causing her to scream in agony. Her muscles tensed, no longer able to move. It felt to her as if a raging fire was running throughout her veins, burning away at her from the inside out. Her scream was so loud it could've shattered glass. This pain that overwhelmed her was so great, like nothing she'd felt before. The rest of the world had fallen away, leaving Cerina alone with this unbearable sensation. She screamed so loud she felt her lungs were ready to burst. In the distance she could eventually hear Vulca's laughter. Somewhere beyond those flickering lights of the blast, the empress was watching her. The pain Cerina felt was like a drug to Vulca, giving her an unexplainable high.

The heat of the blast grew more intense with each passing second. Cerina's screams echoed louder and louder, high into the rafters of the vast, open room. At any moment Niki's mom felt her heart could've given out on her. The human body wasn't designed to take such relentless torture. Just as she thought she could endure no more, the scene around her faded away. The pain, the distant laughter, and the echo of her own screams all disappeared. All sight soon slipped as well. Cerina Morgan's world faded to black.


	4. Breaking Away

**Chapter 4:**

**Breaking Away**

Niki Morgan had never been the world's most obedient child. All too often her chores wouldn't get done, her homework would appear half assed at best, and the sight of her sleeping when told was one seldom seen. No, Niki was in no way the perfect child. At least not from a disciplinary standpoint. But on this particular Winter night, she truly did try to listen. Cerina had pleaded with her to stay in her room. Though Niki hated the idea, she did as she was told. The seriousness in her mom's voice had somehow gotten through to her. Those words Cerina spoke actually made an impression, where so many of the past had flown in one ear and out the other.

Niki tried her best to do as her mother had asked. She'd sat quietly atop her soft bed with the light of the silver moon shining across her face through the window. The hours passed slowly by as she stared at the closed door through the darkness. It felt like an eternity for her, sitting motionless in the silence. Waiting. This, like listening, was not something Nikeera was especially good at. Her eyes remained focused upon the door. It was rare that she'd even blinked in that time. Minute after minute, hour after hour she'd waited for some sign of Cerina's return. Be it the sound of footsteps in the living room, a knock at the tightly locked door before her; anything would've satisfied her. But the longer she'd sat there, Niki began to see the truth. Her mom wasn't coming back.

She may have been young, only six years old that night, but it didn't take a college education to see what her mom's intentions were. Niki knew full well what Cerina had left their quarters to do. She was going to track Vulca down and.... truth be told, the child would not let her mind go any further. She could feel the truth deep inside, but she'd chosen not to focus on it. The images it brought to her were too dark, too scary to entertain.

Cerina's daughter had spent so long there in that same position. She'd remained on her bed in the dark with her knees up to her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around herself. She waited there until she could wait no longer. The youngest Morgan gave it her all, but in the end she just couldn't do it. It had been too long. Her well of patience had run dry. In spite of what Cerina had said to her, the free spirited Niki couldn't do that anymore. She pushed her mom's warnings from her mind and listened to her own heart.

At this moment Niki could be seen tearing through the vacant halls of the palace, just as her mom had not long ago. She ran as fast as her legs would allow, ignoring the aching in her sides and the fear lurking in her stomach. In her haste, Niki hadn't bothered to get dressed. She bolted through those halls in the same pair of pajamas she'd worn before. Pink and white stripes covered her from head to toe; their color gradually having faded with time. The only thing notably different were the muddy sneakers she'd thrown on; their soles pounding as rapidly as her heart against the stone floor.

Never in her life had Niki ventured so far into the palace. There had been times she'd snuck out, but she'd never gone beyond that one hallway in which her home sat. These doors that flew past her were all a mystery. Each turn she took at that moment was a new one for her. Everything around the girl looked foreign and indeed a little scary. Yet she wouldn't allow herself to get caught up in that. She couldn't. There were far more important things lingering on her mind.

"Where are you, Mom?", came the voice in her head. "I know you're still here. You _have _to be!"

The girl's entire body begged for her to stop, but she wouldn't let herself conform. These fears that flooded her mind were too powerful. They forced her through those empty halls, pressing on in spite of the growing discomfort. He feet ached and the sharp pains continued to stab away at her sides like daggers. Niki could feel her lungs heaving in and out rapidly, struggling to take in air.

"I _will _find you. I don't care how long it takes."

This internal monologue kept her going until finally her efforts paid off. There was no telling just how long she'd been moving or how many strange, locked doors she'd sped past. But none of that mattered anymore. Up ahead was the giant entrance to Vulca's chamber, looming high above her. Though Niki couldn't have recognized it, one thing was familiar to her.

"Mom!", she called without any forethought. "Mommy!" The words fell from her mouth on instinct as her speed picked up. She could still hear those shouts bouncing off of the walls around her, accompanied by the thud of her shoes.

Up ahead she could see Cerina's body lying in the floor. Though from her distance, the girl's straining eyes could make out no detail. It was all a blur to her as she forced herself forward, growing ever closer to the doorway.

When at last the body of her mother came into focus, Niki felt the breath stolen from her chest. Her steps slowed once again, gradually bringing her to a dead stop. The sight had frozen her there, her hands shaking. What her hazel eyes beheld in that moment was far worse than any nightmare. She wanted so badly to scream, but the words wouldn't come. She was lost. At that moment all she could do was stare. The sight of the mangled body only a few feet away left Niki feeling a sense of terror like she'd never even dreamed. The child suddenly felt so cold there in the looming doorway. One chill after another shot through her. A subtle tingling could be felt within her cheeks as she fought back tears that suddenly begged to fall.

Lying against the icy floor before her was Cerina. The woman's eyes were closed. Her skin was scorched black in various places from the heat of Vulca's blast. Bright crimson blood covered her face, subtly glistening beneath the overhead lights. Tiny drops could be seen puddled against the gray stone around her. That uniform Niki had seen night after night was in shreds. Its once flawless silver fabric was now dull and torn. The sight would've looked to most like a display of Hollywood horror. Something so gruesome it could've only been dreamed up on the silver screen. But to Niki, it ran deeper. This wasn't just any woman lying there beaten before her. This was her mother. The woman who'd brought her into the world, cared for her, stood by her each and every day.

Niki had always seen her mom as a hero. Through her adoring eyes, Cerina was the strongest woman in the world. She didn't need a cape, a suit of shining armor, or even a morpher. To Niki, she was unbreakable all on her own. The girl saw her mom the way many children do. Every time she looked at her, Niki couldn't see a normal person. To her, Cerina was the bravest, toughest woman to ever walk the face of Stregna. That was an image she'd always held tightly to until that night. Seeing her mom there covered in blood with her uniform torn was an eye opener. This was the first time in all her six years that the truth was made clear to Nikeera. Parents are not super heroes. They're just people and no person is made of stone. We can all break.

Niki waited, looking on, and praying for some sign of life. But she was given none. Cerina didn't move a single muscle. Her eyes didn't open.

In her frozen state, Niki could hear one word form upon her quivering lips, "Mom". It was so soft, hardly even heard by her own ears. The fear she felt as she continued to stare had nearly stripped her voice away.

In time Nikeera found it within herself to move. Overcome with emotion, she charged toward Cerina with her golden blonde hair blowing over her shoulders. Once close enough, the girl dropped to her knees, sliding across the cold floor and coming to a stop beside the fallen form of her mom. Niki could feel her stomach tying into a million knots as she gazed down at the beaten heroine in her life. The kid's entire body shook. This wasn't from the bitter wind that surrounded her, but pure crippling fear. That blood staining Cerina's tanned skin was as red as the pedals of a wild rose. Each drop called out to Niki, forcing her to see the reality of the situation.

"Mommy!", Niki screamed to her. The voice she heard from her own mouth was so full of panic, it surprised even her. So loud and desperate, those many cries fell from her mouth, each one echoing around her in the empty room. "Mommy, please..... you.... you can't be....!"

A thought began to sink down upon her as she continued to stare helplessly at Cerina. The woman hadn't moved since Niki first laid eyes on her there and no matter how much her child begged, there was a possibility that she never would.

"Wake up! Mom, wake up!"

In the midst of her desperate cries, Niki grabbed onto Cerina's arms. With her tiny hands latched onto the fabric of that torn uniform, she began to shake Cerina. With each second that passed her by, Niki's thrusts became rougher, more violent; a sign of her growing desperation. Both verbally and mentally, she begged for her mom to wake.

"You can't die! You just can't!" Her voice began to crack as the tears formed in her eyes, "I can't do this without you! Dad's gone! I don't have anybody else.... I don't _want _anybody else! I just want you! Mommy..... please!"

The longer she shouted into the motionless face of her mother, the harder her tears began to fall. She could hold them inside no longer. Rolling down her cheeks, they began to puddle onto the silver jacket held tightly in the grasp of tiny hands. Between her sniffles, she continued to shout.

"Mommy don't go! Just open your eyes!", she called out, hearing her own voice booming all around her. "Wake up and tell me you'll be okay.... like you always do! Throw your arms around me, or.... yell at me for leaving my room, tell me I'm wrong, that I'm stubborn like you! I don't care! Just as long as you wake up! Ground me for life! Anything. Just please....."

Her voice grew softer in those final words, "..... don't die...."

Niki tried and tried to shake the life back into the fallen Cerina. She gave it her all until her muscles ached with pain. Yet still there wasn't the slightest motion seen in the adult. Her eyes remained closed. Her daughter longed for words of reassurance from across her lips, but she heard nothing but the sound of her own sobs. Vulca's chamber was covered in thick, heart breaking silence. Feeling defeated, Niki sank lower to the ground. Breathing a sigh, she rested her head against the soft material of Cerina's jacket. A few sniffles could be heard as she held tightly to her mother.

"Mom..... nooooo", she groaned softly. Her voice was muffled by the silver cloth of Cerina's uniform. Her face had been buried in it, her words nearly lost.

Niki knelt helplessly beside her mom for so long. With her face hidden away, the girl shed those tears until her eyes burned. The material of Cerina's jacket felt damp against her skin the longer she stayed there, allowing her emotions to come flowing out like a waterfall. In the distance she could hear the chirping of crickets. Their serenade from somewhere over the balcony was the only other sound to make its way into the throne room. She was alone there. The near silence proved that to her in the most painful of ways. As the seconds ticked away, Nikeera began to realize it wasn't just that room anymore. She was alone in the world as well. Without Cerina to hold her hand, she would have nothing.

"Moooommmmm...", came a second drawn out groan. Her voice was heard in a distraught wail. Time passed by so slowly for the girl. With the frigid Winter air blowing toward her, she found all she could do was cry and repeat that one simple plea. Over and over she called for Cerina in that lost, frightened tone. "Mommmy, wake up..... wake up...."

To look at Cerina, anyone would've shared Niki's fears. By all appearances, her life looked to have already slipped away. It seemed as if those blue sparks from within Vulca's staff had ended her years on Stregna, forcing her soul to move on. Thus leaving her child to walk that world alone. But there are times life can surprise us.

Throughout all her years, Niki was told that she was Cerina's miracle. All too often her mom would remind her of that. She'd always seen her child as this perfect gift, one she never felt she deserved. Now Nikeera knew this was a good thing, but she understood little else about the concept. Miracles to her were a mystery. Little did she realize that she would soon be given a much deeper understanding of what her mom meant. Cerina had seen her miracle in the eyes of her newborn baby girl and Niki would soon find her own there beneath the lights of Vulca's chamber.

Somewhere inside herself, Cerina was able to hear her daughter's cries. She didn't know how or why. All she knew was that where ever her mind had drifted after that blast, she wasn't too far gone. All around her she could hear those sobs and broken words, pleas for her to wake. Niki needed her. Though the specifics would always be a mystery to her, Cerina found that she could use those desperate cries. She could use them to pull herself back. The woman was indeed close to her end, but somehow her love for her little miracle was enough to force her away from the light. She still had a job to do on that planet. John wasn't able to carry on for Niki, thus Cerina had no choice. She couldn't leave her. Not then or ever because she knew that without her, the child would have no one. Holding so tightly to these thoughts, Cerina pulled herself back. She used her daughter's words as a life line and from them she found her second chance.

Niki Morgan felt so far away there in that throne room, lost in her own tears. But somewhere in that otherwise eerie silence, something was able to pull her from her sorrow. She felt a hand rest upon her shoulder. At first it sent a wave of terror through the girl. Her heart picked up speed as a newfound fear sank in. That is until she recognized it. That touch, so gentle and loving, was familiar to her -- one she'd felt each and every day of her life. The hand that held her wasn't one of anger; Vulca or some hooded guard. It was her mother. There was no denying it. She knew Cerina's touch as well as she did her own. The feeling of it against her shirt caused Niki's head to raise up gradually. What she beheld in those seconds to follow took the breath from her lungs. It left her staring wide eyed, mouth a gape.

"Mom?", her soft whisper of a voice asked. In her surprise, the word had come so faintly, nearly overshadowed by the howl of the wind.

Niki had screamed so long for her mom to wake and it seemed those screams were heard. Someone had answered her prayers. Still kneeling against the stone floor, she watched as Cerina's eyes began to open.

"Mom, can you hear me?", she asked, slightly louder this time. "Are you.... okay?"

So slowly Cerina forced her eyes open once again. The light from over head was blinding in those first few seconds. The entire world was seen as a blur, just one big display of twisting, tangling color. But in the midst of it, she could make out a face looking over her. Niki. Even through the blur, she could recognize the features of her angel's face. Her long hair falling over her shoulders, golden bangs, those same hazel eyes Cerina had looked into every night as she tucked her into bed. Seeing Nikeera there kneeling over her brought a comfort to Cerina. In the girl's pale face she could see that she was home.

"Niki....", she choked in a faint, raspy voice.

"Mom!"

Through her pain, Cerina forced her response, "I'm..... I'm fine."

Of course deep down Cerina knew she wasn't. Her throat burned like wild fire with each word that she spoke. Across her body, she could feel every open wound brought on by Vulca's blast. Her muscles ached and her chest felt as if it were ready to cave in. There was a pounding in her brain, sending sharp pains surging behind her eyes. And yet through it all, she forced herself to sound as calm as possible. For Niki's sake, she put up a front. No matter how agonizing this pain truly was, Cerina would've never wanted her baby to see it. For her she stayed strong.

"You don't have to worry anymore," the woman started. "I'm okay now. Vulca.... she just took me by surprise. That's all."

Niki knew better than to believe most of this. What Cerina really felt inside was depicted clearly in her voice. The harsh, raspy tone painted a picture for her child, showing her exactly what her mom was hiding.

"I thought.... I thought you were gone forever", Niki expressed quietly. "When I saw you laying here, I thought...."

Cerina stopped her quickly, forcing each word up from within her, "I'm not. Please.... calm down, honey. I'm...."

Her words were cut short by a series of violent coughs. Each one lit her lungs on fire as they emerged from within. There she lay beaten and burned, literally clinging to life. And still she thought only of the child who looked down at her. Each sentence she spoke was a struggle, but she pressed on. In spite of her own pain, Cerina's only goal was to dry those tears in her daughter's eyes. Only then would she truly be okay.

"I'm not going to die," she finally continued. "I won't leave you that way. I.... can't."

Niki knew Cerina was not okay. Through the blood, and the burns, and her distant whisper of a voice, the child could see the truth. But none the less, she was alive. By the grace of God, Cerina had lived and that was all her little girl needed to know. The feelings inside her as she stared down at Cerina were impossible to verbalize. The relief she felt hearing her mom's voice again; Niki truly didn't know how to explain it. All those fears she had before were washed away. Unsure of what else to do, Nikeera threw her arms around Cerina and held on for dear life. She squeezed with all her strength. This hug, so tight and warm, was all she knew to express how she felt.

All the pain raging through Cerina suddenly didn't feel so important anymore. Vulca's blast had sent her only seconds away from death and yet in that moment she truly felt okay. In spite of it all, she found herself at peace. Lying there with her daughter's arms around her, nothing else mattered. This was what she'd come back for. Niki was everything to her. Even in times like these where most would've simply given up, Cerina could not. She kept fighting. As they remained there in the empty room, surrounded by the Winter wind, she realized something. Nikeera was her reason for living. She'd always said this, but now it seemed the phrase was less on a metaphorical level. She'd pulled herself back from death, thus making it more literal than it had ever been. She was hurt, but she was breathing and that was all because of the kid she brought into the world.

In time the woman forced herself to sit up. Her muscles were tense, fighting her every step of the way. The sudden elevation caused the room around her to spin. Once in a sitting position, Cerina rubbed her eyes, hoping to will away the dizziness. Meanwhile Niki stared on at her with concern quickly filling her young face.

"What are you doing?", the child demanded; her words stronger than before, "You're hurt. You have to lay down."

"There's no time for that now."

As Cerina's blue eyes shifted around the chamber of her former empress, a very real truth fell upon her. They were alone in that room, but not alone in the palace. Somewhere within those walls were thousands of black clad soldiers. They patrolled the halls, they guarded doors, they waited at the thick iron gates of the structure. Even though neither Morgan could see them, they were surrounded by Drika. It was only a matter of time before one of them realized what had happened. It would only take one to pass by that large door. He would see that his former superior had lived and before they knew it, Cerina and Niki would be surrounded. Despite the quiet, peaceful feeling of the throne room, they were not safe. At any moment their lives could be put back in jeopardy.

"We can't stay here, Niki", the woman continued with a serious tone. "We have to go.... leave this place while we can. When I stormed out before...."

She stopped a moment, unsure if she should even continue. Niki was so young. To reveal the truth to her; it would shatter her innocence. In time her child would have to learn what went on in that palace. She would have to sit down and explain all of the things she'd kept from her; all of the horror that had gone on around them the past three years. But this wasn't the time. The clock was ticking for them. They either left the palace then, or potentially not at all.

If the Drika found them, there would've been no way for Cerina to fight them off. Her body couldn't hold up in another physical battle. If those men came charging through the door, she could do nothing. She was too weak, too drained from Vulca's blast. Sitting there burned with her face covered in slowly drying blood, Cerina would've been at their mercy. Worse yet, she could have never defended Niki.

"Look...," she started as her train of thought jumped its original track, "... when I left, I betrayed Vulca. I came in here and I stood up for you. But when I did that, my life changed. _Our _life changed. This place.... its no longer safe for us. Not after what I did."

"But.... I don't understand...", Niki started.

"I know. This night.... everything's been so fast paced and so scary for you. Niki, I am sorry for that. I truly am. I put myself in your shoes and I can imagine how you must feel. First with Vulca, then I leave, you find me like this.... trust me, baby, I get it. You're confused and you have every right to be."

Once again Nikeera found herself at a loss for words. These things that were happening to her; they didn't seem real. It all felt like a dream through her eyes. Throughout her life there in the palace, Cerina had kept her sheltered. Niki never knew the truth about who her mom used to be or the things that happened within those walls. Now all of a sudden that truth was seeping out. In one night the child found herself being introduced to a whole new world, far different from the illusion she'd grown up with. Minutes earlier she'd found her mom lying against that floor, covered in blood, and hovering so close to death. And now, in that same serious tone she'd used before, Cerina was demanding that they leave. What were they running from? Why were all of these things happening? Poor Niki was in the dark about so much. None of it made sense to her. None of it _could _for what little she really knew. It was all so sudden. All these changes were being forced onto her. They created question after question in the girl's mind, but no answers seemed to follow.

Rightfully overwhelmed, Niki stared at her mom. She didn't know what to say, what to do. All she could manage was to gaze on with this blank, frightened expression. The fear in her eyes as she looked at Cerina was impossible to miss.

"I'm sorry this is happening to you," Cerina started again. "Its my fault. All of it. You're scared and confused because of me. Mommy made so many mistakes in the past. And now.... now they're catching up with me."

"What are you talking about?", Niki responded in a high pitched voice that lifted into the rafters above her.

"I told you, I can't.... I can't explain it now. There's just no time. I need you to trust me. I will give you answers. When we're safe, away from here.... away from this life, I will tell you. All of these things I've done, they effect you too. And even though I wish I could shelter you forever, I know I can't. Not now. I got you into this Niki and.... if you just let me get you out...."

She stopped a moment as her voice lowered. Drawing a deep breath into her lungs, Cerina took hold of both of her child's shoulders. There beneath the lights of Vulca's chamber, she looked eye to eye with the girl. In a low voice, she did her best to pacify Niki. It was all she _could _do. Until they were safe, she couldn't give her the answers she needed. Only when they were free of the palace and the dangers that went along with it; only then could she open up.

"... I'll tell you everything." So softly Cerina's words continued in the midst of the howling wind, "I wanted so badly to keep you away from all of this, but I can't. You just have to let me save you. Believe it or not, that's all I've ever been trying to do. I gave up everything to try and keep you safe. I went about it the wrong way, but.... just let me fix what I've done. When we get far enough away.... I swear to you, honey, you will know it all."

Niki's head began to shift around. She was nervous, her hands trembling and her heart racing inside.

"But how are we gonna leave?", she asked so obviously scared. "You're hurt too bad."

"Look", her mom responded in a low, stern voice, "If we don't get out of here now.... I'll be _dead_."

Her mom's goal wasn't really to scare Niki. She knew full well her blunt statement would do just that, but it was the truth. There wasn't time to sit and debate this.

As Cerina pushed up from the floor, she found herself hit with another wave of dizziness. It swept over her like an ocean's tide, causing her to stumble back slightly. Her head was spinning as she battled her own body, literally forcing her way back to a standing position. The damage she'd suffered at Vulca's hands was extensive. She could feel it more in those first seconds standing than ever before. Every muscle in her body cried out for mercy. The sting of those many open wounds still remained. Her lungs were ready to burst and her throat was still left burning. It was quite obvious why Niki had objected. She could tell Cerina's condition wasn't good. And she was right in a way. The mother shouldn't make herself move so quickly. Cerina was aware of this. She was also aware that Niki was only trying to help. But the truth was, they didn't have time to wait for her body to heal.

"Please Niki," she said as she gazed down at her concerned kid, "I realize you're worried about me. And on top of everything else you must be feeling right now, I know that isn't easy. But the fact of the matter is, we don't have time to wait out my injuries. We leave here tonight.... or not at all."

Niki still understood none of this. She'd always known her world wasn't normal. One look at the kids in her class and she could tell that much. But never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined all the things that had happened that night. She felt so lost, like she was trapped in someone else's life.

Eventually she gave a helpless sigh, while tilting her head up toward her mom.

"All right," she began as she pushed herself up from the ground, "I'm confused, but.... if you say we have to leave, then.... I'll do it."

"Thank you. That's all I ask." There was a slight pause in her words before she completed the thought, "And I promise, I _will _explain when we're far enough away. I can't keep you in the dark anymore. If you just stick with me through this, I'll answer any questions you have."

Nikeera was reluctant, but she had no choice. A slight nod was the only response she gave to her mom.

Cerina started to turn toward the door, but a sound in the background caused her to freeze in her steps. A soft click could be heard in the otherwise silent room. This sound was familiar to her. In the past it had never mattered much, but on that night it sent her heart racing. This was the sound of a Drika's blaster. The safety had been clicked off. There was no doubt what lay behind her. One of Vulca's many muscle bound servants with its gun pointed squarely at her head. She couldn't see the man, but after so long in the palace, she didn't need to. Cerina knew how they worked. Every movement made by a Drika Soldier was second nature to her by that point.

"Just stay quiet," she whispered to her child through clenched teeth. The last thing she wanted was for Niki to draw attention to herself. She wasn't the Drika's primary objective, but if she were to make enough commotion, he'd have fired on her as well.

In time Cerina raised her hands in a gesture of surrender and turned, coming face to face with the hooded guard. She could see his cold, dead eyes focused on her from beneath the mask. Slowly she drew in one breath after another; her teeth still tightly clenched.

"Morgan," came the Drika's deep voice, "You've been a bad little slave. Firing on the empress. I thought of all people you'd know better."

"Please, if you're going to shoot me, just do it. Don't stand there and lecture me first."

Cerina suddenly felt a tugging at her side. Niki was yanking on her torn jacket with her eyes locked onto the gun wielding Drika. This was the first time in her life she'd seen one. Prior to that point, Cerina did her best to keep her away from them. Once the woman lowered her gaze, she saw the mixture of confusion and fear on her daughter's face.

"Mom, who is he?", she asked in a tiny squeak of a voice. "Why's he aiming that thing at you?"

Both of Cerina's hands were still held in the air. Moving one inward, she placed a finger to her blood stained lips, shushing Niki. She understood perfectly her child's need to question this. Yet she couldn't explain while staring down the barrel of a gun. Like many children, Nikeera's timing wasn't exactly the best.

"But Mom....."

"Quiet!", Cerina snapped before shifting her gaze back to the black clad man.

The Drika gave a cocky sort of nod. The grip he had on his giant blaster became tighter, his finger growing ever closer to the trigger. Those eyes, so distant, never left the former assassin.

"This is sad. You had power once," he told Cerina. "You made it to the top, something most of us only dream of. Somehow you managed to gain the empress' trust. Only a fool would piss that away."

Cerina hadn't moved a muscle in recent seconds. One sudden move and he'd have opened fire, sending that hot red light slicing through her. She couldn't take a single step, couldn't lower her hands. Even the breaths she took were a risk. The slightest thing could set this man off. He was nothing in the empire. Just a number; of little importance. But none the less, he had her. This faceless soldier whom she'd have once spat on had her squarely in the cross hairs of his blaster. No matter what her opinion of him and those like him, Cerina couldn't deny the fact that he had bested her. The element of surprise had worked in his favor.

"You used to be feared all across this world and now look at you," the Drika continued. "You're standing there at gunpoint. Nowhere to run; nowhere to hide."

Obviously the soldier got some high from this. His former superior was now marked shoot to kill. The situation had a strange sort of justice to it. Morgan had spent three years looking down on those like him, yet there she was quite literally at his mercy. It wasn't often the Drika felt happy, or felt _anything _for that matter. But there was no denying this was one of those rare occasions. To open fire on Cerina would've been a treat for one in his position.

As one of the soldier's gloved hands stroked the cold metal of his blaster, his words returned in a menacing tone, "I'm gonna enjoy this."

Cerina's body didn't move, but in this time her eyes shifted from side to side. She was scanning the room in hopes of finding some way out. There had to be something there; something she could take advantage of. Sadly as more and more of their surroundings were taken in by those frightened blue eyes, Cerina realized they were on their own. The throne room was empty. No weapons, no potential distractions, nothing.

From her spot beside her mom, Niki could see the fear spreading across the woman's face. The longer she looked up at her, the more clear this became. Cerina wasn't stalling. She truly had no way out. The child took in one nervous breath, feeling the icy air entering her lungs. Cerina couldn't save them. It was a sobering thought to her and very much a frightening one. Her mom was in no condition to fight. Not after what Vulca had done to her. And though Niki didn't know the Drika by reputation, she didn't need to. The sight of that large gun was all she needed in order to understand. Seeing its metal sparkling in the many lights and its barrel locked onto her mom, Niki saw the truth. This was life or death. She didn't know why any of this was happening. None the less, she couldn't dispute what her eyes beheld.

"What are we gonna do?", she asked herself silently. "Mom can't move or that guy will shoot. She's got no weapons, she can't fight him."

Sadly Stregna wasn't like the Earth. When held at gunpoint, one couldn't simply pray for the assistance of an officer. Stregna's only laws came from Vulca. She was the highest power. With Cerina now viewed a traitor, there was no hope for a savior. No police to yell for, no 911 service to dial. The two were on their own in that war torn world.

"If Mom can't do it.... then I don't have a choice", Niki thought as her internal monologue continued.

The little girl shifted her fearful gaze to the gunman, staring up at him for the longest time. In her heart she tried not to look scared, but this was difficult to hide. It was becoming more and more clear what she would have to do. Now most kids would've never tried something like this. But as so often stated, Niki wasn't like them. She was Cerina's daughter. As such, she inherited her mother's courage, among other less admirable traits. She was afraid, but when backed into a corner, Nikeera was a fighter. Just like Cerina, she would do whatever it took to survive.

Very subtly there in the silence, Niki gave a wink intended for her mom. When Cerina caught sight of this, she wanted so badly to tell her daughter no. "Don't do this!", she screamed inside. But it was no use. The woman knew perfectly well what this meant. Her child was seconds away from doing something crazy. No matter her age, Niki was a Morgan woman. It had been proven over time that there was a certain amount of insanity that went along with that. This fact scared the living Hell out of Cerina.

The breath was stolen from the mother's chest as she gazed on at her child. She watched as Niki's motionless stance fell away. The girl dove to the right, tucking, and rolling across the stone floor in a series of somersaults. This sudden movement caused the Drika Soldier's attention to shift. On instinct he turned, opening fire on Nikeera. Each blast that emerged from the gun was like a shot to Cerina's heart. She was scared to death in those seconds to follow. Fortunately, Niki's size was an advantage. Previously the gun had been pointed directly at Cerina's head. In his haste the Drika hadn't thought to lower it. Thus due to Niki's height, those beams of burning red light sailed straight over her head.

Cerina hated this with every fiber of her being, but it was too late to stop it. Niki was already rolling over the floor with the laser lights flying above her. This was it. The soldier's attention as well as his aim had shifted. Her daughter had given her the chance she otherwise would've never gotten. She had to act, no matter how much she'd have rather scolded the girl for her thoughtless action.

Mrs. Morgan forced all her strength into a single motion, kicking the blaster from the Drika's hands. Her eyes shifted up following the weapon as it flew into the air. She could hear the gasp escape from deep inside Vulca's slave. He felt the gun leave his once forceful grip, but in truth he didn't know what had happened. It was all so fast. He'd been given no time to process Niki's movements or Cerina's.

Cerina waited patiently for the gun to be pulled back down by the force of gravity. Once she caught sight of it falling, the woman extended her hands, catching it, and aiming its scope immediately at the soldier before her. Wasting not a single second, she fired upon him, sending those all too familiar beams of light emerging from the barrel. One by one they pierced through his massive body. Seconds later his entire form could be seen going up into a ball of crackling red fire. The flames, so bright and hot, danced across Cerina's face and flickered in her unblinking blue eyes. So proudly she stood watching the final bits of the Drika fall to the floor in a blaze. At last she could breathe a sigh of relief. The man was dead. They were safe.

As those flames began to die away atop the floor, Cerina shifted her body swiftly toward her child. They had escaped danger, something they could've never done were it not for Niki's reckless behavior. Yet still her mother chose to take issue with it. Frankly, what parent wouldn't?

"Nikeera Karova Morgan!," her mom shouted in classic parental form, "Don't you _ever _do that again!"

As Niki came to a stop there on her knees against the ground, she saw Cerina moving toward her. So quick in her steps her mom tore across the floor with her long golden hair blowing behind her in the breeze. There was a newly found terror seen on her face. At first her daughter thought it was due only to the bad choice she'd made, but the longer she stared, Niki realized there was something more to it.

Wasting no time at all, Cerina grabbed hold of Niki's arm. Her grip was so tight as she thrust the girl up to a standing position, pulling her close. Niki had no idea what was happening. All she knew for sure was that it was serious. The look in her mom's eyes proved that much to her.

"Come on", Cerina spoke quietly. "We have to go."

It took a moment, but Niki soon discovered the source of her mother's panic. In the distance she could hear a thudding noise. Faint as it was, it sounded to her like a heard of cattle charging; their hooves stomping like thunder across the floor. These were the Drika. Hundreds of them filled the hallway that lead to the throne room. Cerina had picked up the sound of their pounding boots.

Drawing in a deep breath, she swept Niki up into her arms. At this moment, the adult's head was whipping from side to side in search of a way out. The door wasn't an option. In mere seconds it would be filled with hooded soldiers. Each with their guns loaded and their hearts set on destruction. No, there was only one way out of this situation. Cerina didn't like it, but her options were limited. It was either this or face the Drika. It would've been a difficult choice, but it seemed life had made it for her.

"Hold onto me, Niki, and don't let go. No matter what you do..... just _hold on_!", she cried as her voice carried over the sound of advancing footsteps.

Breaking into a run, Cerina tore across the stone toward the balcony. Her heals clicked over the floor as she carried herself closer and closer to her destination. When Niki finally realized what was happening, the little girl's mouth dropped open in a combination of fear and surprise. She saw the balcony, she saw the world that stretched out from beyond it.... and Nikeera knew exactly where her mother's steps would lead. Not stopping even a second, Cerina put one foot up onto the thick marble railing and used it to push herself up. Up they went into the bitter night air, sailing like a bird over the balcony and out into the sky.

As the Drika appeared in the doorway, they could see the two of them jumping over the rail. Those men, just like Niki, were filled with shock. They jumped. They _actually _jumped. None could believe their eyes as they watched the mother and daughter falling through the twisting wind.


End file.
